Feasibility and effectiveness of disinfection of gloves during routine care: a scoping review protocol

Disinfecting gloves during patient care has potential benefits and risks. In recent years, disinfection of disposable medical gloves for prolonged use has occurred in clinical practice. However, there is limited high-level evidence to know if this practice can prevent nosocomial infections, reduce microbial levels on the glove surface. This concept was researched using a scoping review to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of disinfecting disposable gloves for prolonged use.

The review will be conducted in accordance with the Arksey and O'Malley scoping review methodology framework. From the date of database construction to 10 February 2023, the following 16 electronic databases in English and Chinese will be searched: PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, SinoMed Database, Google Scholar, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, WHO, China CDC, International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium and European Medicines Agency Science Medicines Health. The screening and data extraction of the study will be carried out by two reviewers (KL and SH). Differences between the two reviewers will be handled through negotiation. If there are still differences, they will be discussed with a third reviewer. Any study, for example, intervention study or observational study, that provide insights about the disinfection of disposable medical gloves for prolonged use will be included. Data charts will be used to extract relevant data from the included studies. Results will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews, to define the scope of evaluation. A narrative summary will be completed to synthesise key research findings and background information on the disinfection of gloved hands.

Ethical approval will not be required because only publicly available data will be analysed. The findings from the scoping review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at scientific meetings. By highlighting the feasibility and effectiveness of the disinfection of gloved hands in the literature, this review will provide direction for future research and clinical guidelines.

This scoping review protocol has been registered in the Open Science Framework (registration number: 10.17605/OSF.IO/M4U8N).