Q. Must I remove rings before putting on exam gloves?A. Whether wearing rings increases the likelihood of transmitting a pathogen is unknown; further studies are needed to establish whether rings result in higher transmission of pathogens in health-care settings. However, rings and decorative nail jewelry can make donning gloves more difficult and cause gloves to tear more readily. Thus, our recommendation is to remove jewelry so that it does not interfere with glove use (e.g., impair ability to wear the correct-sized glove or alter glove integrity).
