Choosing the right medical glove for your task can be tricky. You’ll want to weigh up three main materials – latex, nitrile, and vinyl – plus a fourth option that might surprise you. But how do you know which ones are best suited? 

Consider five different properties such as comfort or durability to find one that works perfectly with what you need from it!

Resilience And Strength

When selecting gloves for your task, don’t settle for anything that won’t stand up to the strain. Nitrile and latex medical gloves are more durable than vinyl alternatives – perfect when you need something with a bit extra strength! If added resilience is paramount, choose thicker options – just be aware they may sacrifice some sensitivity in exchange.

Feeling And Sensitivity

For medical tasks that require precision, like handling instruments or locating veins, sensitivity is key. To get the most feel and accuracy through your fingertips while working with patients, latex gloves are your go-to – they fit snugly to ensure all sensations reach you clearly. 

You may also opt for nitrile gloves but know their thicker material can muffle some feeling during delicate operations; meanwhile vinyl simply isn’t up to par in situations where dexterity is a must.

Snug Fit

A glove that fits well with no loose areas but with some stretchiness provides a good balance between comfort and dexterity. When it is important to be able to manipulate the fingers easily the best material is latex. A latex medical glove is likely to offer some flexibility in sizing too as the glove will stretch to fit even when a smaller glove is really needed.

A thin nitrile glove will also provide more stretch, comfort, and a snug fit but is less likely to tolerate wrong sizing.

Vinyl medical gloves are much less stretchy and have to be the right size if they are not to either be too loose and wrinkly or too tight and split.

Resistance to Tearing

If gloves are not stretchy then they can be prone to tearing on donning or during use. Latex and nitrile are tear-resistant, especially around the cuff. In an environment where there is a risk of puncture, once punctured nitrile is prone to splitting.

All latex and nitrile gloves are treated inside to make donning easier and reduce tearing.

If you need resistance to tearing and puncture, vinyl gloves are not the best option. Vinyl gloves do not have any treatment inside to help when putting them on, so this is a risk especially if they are worn tightly.

Remember any glove is at risk of damage if the wearer has long or sharp fingernails or jewelry.

Grip

Tasks that involve the use of tools, instruments or small objects will need gloves with some degree of gripping ability. There are tasks where holding or moving patients is required. In these situations, too much grip may actually be a problem and cause patient discomfort or even harm.

Latex gloves offer the most amount of grip as the material is naturally tacky. Some nitrile gloves, though less grippy, do have textured surfaces for more grip. Some gloves offer textured fingertips which can be a good compromise option.

Vinyl gloves may not be useful where a grip is needed but are ideal when handling patients. The smooth surface will not adhere to the skin so is less likely to cause discomfort or harm.

If you are in need of the best quality medical gloves, check out our large selection at Evolve Medical Supplies.