Method of making short measurements in health care and other environments

Abstract

A method is disclosed of using a glove, of latex or similar material, that is embossed or imprinted with one or more measurement scales along a digit or digits thereof. A nurse or other medical practitioner can then use such a glove easily and accurately to measure the sizes of scars and wounds on a patient's skin for recording and assessing over time the healing or degrading of the scar or wound. The measuring scale on the glove is simply laid along the scar or across a wound and its size is accurately and quickly determined for recordation. The glove also can be used to measure directly the depth of a wound, by inserting a gloved finger with a measurement scale, as an index or pinkie finger, thereinto, where the scale goes to the end of the finger. Other uses in construction and agriculture also appear.

We claim as our invention: 
     
         1 . A method of facilitating measurement of a wound to skin in a health care setting, using at least one latex or similar glove formed or imprinted with at least one measurement scale along a digit thereof, the method comprising steps as follows carried out by a health care practitioner,
 selecting a glove of appropriate size and having a measurement scale extending along at least one digit thereof;   placing the glove over the hand and fingers of said practitioner without significant lengthwise stretching of same;   uncovering a wound on the patient's skin and cleaning the wound if necessary to expose same to the practitioner's view;   placing at least one of the measurement scales on the glove adjacent a major dimension of the wound and noting the measured length or dimension of said wound; and   recording the dimension of the wound as measured.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein measurements are taken in two directions to assess the healing or worsening of the wound, and two different scales on the glove, one on the thumb and one on the index finger, are used in the assessment. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the scale is printed on the glove. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the scale is embossed into the material of the glove. 
     
     
         5 . A method of visually directly measuring any selected dimension of up to about six inches (15 centimeters) using a glove on a hand of the user, the glove having a measurement scale imprinted or embossed thereon along a digit thereof, the method comprising the steps of placing the scale adjacent the object whose dimension is to be measured, with a zero tick on the scale adjacent one side or end of the dimension, and recording which tick on the scale the other side or end of the dimension matches. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the object to be measured is a wound in the skin of a patient. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the object to be measured is other than a wound in the skin of a patient. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the object to be measured is a construction detail, relating to or including at least one of a pipe, a tile, a carpentry or masonry item, and an electrical item. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the object to be measured is an agricultural item, as a fruit or vegetable or small animal item.