Family Planning

Wear glovesDo pelvicexaminationsonly whenneededFor injections,use new autodisablesyringesand needlesWipe surfaceswith chlorinesolutionóóóóóóóóóWear gloves for any procedure that risks touchingblood, other body fluids, mucous membranes,broken skin, soiled items, dirty surfaces, or waste.Wear surgical gloves for surgical proceduressuch as insertion of implants. Wear single-useexamination gloves for procedures that touchintact mucous membranes or generally to avoidexposure to body fluids. Gloves are notnecessary for giving injections.Change gloves between procedures on thesame client and between clients.Do not touch clean equipment or surfaces withdirty gloves or bare hands.Wash hands before putting on gloves. Do notwash gloved hands instead of changing gloves.Gloves are not a substitute for hand washing.Wear clean utility gloves when cleaning soiledinstruments and equipment, handling waste, andcleaning blood or body fluid spills.Pelvic examinations are not needed for mostfamily planning methods—only for femalesterilization and the IUD (see Importance ofSelected Procedures for Providing FamilyPlanning Methods, p. 307). Pelvic examinationsshould be done only when there is a reason—such as suspicion of sexually transmittedinfections, when the examination could helpwith diagnosis or treatment.Auto-disable syringes and needles are safer andmore reliable than standard single-use disposablesyringes and needles, and any disposable syringesand needles are safer than sterilizing reusablesyringes and needles. Reusable syringes andneedles should be considered only when singleuseinjection equipment is not available and ifprograms can document the quality of sterilization.Cleaning the client’s skin before the injection isnot needed unless the skin is dirty. If it is, washwith soap and water and dry with a clean towel.Wiping with an antiseptic has no added benefit.Wipe examination tables, bench tops, and othersurfaces that come in contact with unbrokenskin with 0.5% chlorine solution after each client.24Family Planning ProvisionInfection Prevention in the Clinic313