Glove use and the HIV positive massage therapy client

Summary 

Massage therapy is often used to treat stress, and other symptoms of HIV/AIDS. Massage therapy standards of practice require the use of gloves only when contact with blood and bodily fluids is expected. Health care professionals often mistrust universal precautions and use gloves when their use is not indicated, especially when dealing with HIV positive clients. This case report explored the effects of un-indicated glove use on stress levels, satisfaction with treatment, perception of the therapist, and perceived stigma during a massage therapy treatment. In this case, gloved treatments were only 80% as effective at reducing stress as ungloved treatments. No difference was found in sense of stigma, perception of the therapist, or overall satisfaction in ungloved compared to gloved treatments. Suggestions for future considerations and additional research are made.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Gloves, Skin-to-skin, Touch, Stress, Stigma, Universal precautions