Why is hand hygiene essential before donning sterile gloves?

• A. To sanitize the gloves themselves.
• B. To reduce microbial load and protect the patient from infection.
• C. To hydrate the skin to improve grip.
• D. To fulfill administrative requirements.

Answer: (B)

Hand hygiene before donning sterile gloves is done to minimize the number of microorganisms on the hands, reducing the chance of transferring bacteria to the sterile field, the gloves themselves, or the patient. Gloves provide a barrier, but they don’t sterilize the hands, and contamination can still occur during donning if the hands aren’t clean. Clean hands help prevent introducing pathogens into the surgical site, lowering infection risk. Hydrating the skin or merely meeting administrative requirements aren’t the reasons for this practice.