Final answer:
Gloves should be changed before touching clean sheets, especially in healthcare settings, to prevent the spread of pathogens. Proper hand hygiene and the use of disinfectants are essential in maintaining cleanliness and preventing contamination.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks which statement is true about handling clean sheets with gloves that have just touched other clean items. Gloves should be changed after any activity that could potentially contaminate them before touching clean, sterilized, or disinfected items to maintain proper hygiene and prevent the spread of pathogens. Hand hygiene is a critical practice in preventing infection, so while clean gloves can sometimes be reused in non-medical settings after contact with clean items, it's always best to err on the side of caution, especially in healthcare settings.
Since gloves can sometimes fail to completely protect against pathogens, after removing gloves, hands should be washed thoroughly to reduce the risk of transferring any potential contamination. In settings that require high levels of sterility, such as surgical environments, more rigorous scrubbing procedures are followed.