Victoria Ward at Warwick Hospital use ski mittens to prevent patients removing naso-gastic tubes

Patients who are disorientated for a variety of reasons, for example following a stroke, often try to remove their naso-gastric tube. Constantly replacing it is not only extremely distressing for the patient, it is also very time consuming for the medical staff.

Wearing padded ski mittens makes it hard for patients to remove the tape that keeps the vital tube in place.

Whenever anyone visits they can remove the glove and hold the patient's hand. It is also important to remember that on a hospital ward, a hand in a padded glove can get quite hot after a while so it is very important to remove it at regular intervals so that the fingers and palms can be cleaned, exercised and massaged.