How do gloves affect cutaneous sensibility in medical practice? Two new applied tests

Area of Science:

• Medical Devices
• Human Factors Engineering
• Surgical Skills Assessment

Background:

• Medical examinations require fine tactile and haptic abilities.
• Existing methods for evaluating tactile performance with medical gloves are limited.
• Simulated Medical Examination Tactile Tests (SMETT) were developed to address this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the effect of medical gloves on tactile performance.
• To evaluate the suitability of two novel tests (SMETT 'Bumps' and 'Princess and the Pea') for medical glove assessment.
• To investigate the influence of design parameters on tactile test outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Two new tests, SMETT 'Bumps' and 'Princess and the Pea' (P&P), were administered to 30-40 subjects each.
• Tests were conducted with and without latex and nitrile examination gloves.
• Pilot studies explored the impact of material stiffness, exploration technique, finger orientation, and surface lubrication.

Main Results:

• Subjects performed significantly better without gloves in the 'Bumps' test.
• Thinner latex gloves showed better performance than thicker nitrile gloves ('almost significant' difference).
• Finger orientation and surface lubrication significantly affected 'Bumps' test results; P&P test showed no significant glove effect.

Conclusions:

• The SMETT 'Bumps' test shows potential as a clinical tool for evaluating manual performance and medical gloves.
• The SMETT 'P&P' test is a valid measure of haptic/tactile performance but not suitable for glove evaluation.
• Both tests may be applicable for assessing neurological impairment or surgical aptitude.