Sustainability interventions in nursing wards
General resources
Reducing glove use
Nurses use large quantities of non-sterile gloves during patient care. There are three situations where gloves are required: 1) when caring for patients in isolation 2) when there is a risk of contact with mucous membranes or bodily fluids 3) when preparing certain medications. Wearing gloves as a standard practice is not recommended1. Due to the high consumption rates in hospitals, gloves have a considerable environmental impact2.
Intervention
Reduce the use of (non-sterile) gloves by only wearing them when there is a clear indication to do so.
Environmental impact
Measured in CO₂ emissions, based on the reduction in the number of non-sterile gloves used.
Implementation approach
Refer to the implementation approach for reducing the use of a product and consult the step-by-step guide for more information on setting objectives, implementation and evaluation.In addition, use the toolkit from the No Risk? No Glove! campaign.
When is it implemented?
This intervention is considered implemented when the set target has been achieved, meaning fewer gloves are used compared to before implementation, and the difference in CO₂-equivalent (kg) has been calculated.
How this is measured?
The environmental impact of this intervention can be determined using purchasing data on the number of non-sterile gloves. See the section Measuring an intervention using purchasing data for more information.
Resources
click here for the toolkit developed by the national Green Team Infection Prevention (at the bottom of the page) and click here for their No Risk? No Glove! campaign infographic.
click here for the Green ICU best practice about the No Risk? No Glove! campaign and their internal poster.
click here for the example from UMCG, where the No Risk? No Glove! campaign led to a reduction of 251,000 gloves in the first quarter alone.
click here for the example from the United Kingdom, where an awareness campaign to reduce glove use resulted in a 7% decrease in inappropriate glove use.
Footnotes
- Samenwerkingsverband Richtlijnen Infectiepreventie. (December 2023). Richtlijn Persoonlijke beschermingsmiddelen Module 2.
- Nederlandse Federatie van Universitair Medische Centra. (June 2024). Landelijke inventarisatie medische disposables UMC’s.
Resultaten
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View our other interventions
General resources
Reducing glove use
Nurses use large quantities of non-sterile gloves during patient care. There are three situations where gloves are required: 1) when caring for patients in isolation 2) when there is a risk of contact with mucous membranes or bodily fluids 3) when preparing certain medications. Wearing gloves as a standard practice is not recommended1. Due to the high consumption rates in hospitals, gloves have a considerable environmental impact2.
Verpleegkundig handelen
Clean intermittent catheterisation
Since July 2024, bladder catheterisation may be performed using the new ‘no-touch technique’. In this method, non-sterile gloves are used, and the genital area is cleaned with tap water. This more sustainable approach requires fewer sterile materials and saves time, as the procedure can be performed by a single nurse. With this intervention, nurses put the new guideline into practice.
ADL
Reducing the use of cellulose mats
Disposable cellulose mats are designed to absorb large amounts of body fluids from patients. In practice, they are also used for other purposes, such as wiping up spilled liquids on the floor. In many cases, a towel or collection tray will suffice. Because of their high consumption in hospitals, cellulose mats have a significant environmental impact1.
Nursing interventions
Reusable non-sterile suture removal set
A suture removal set contains sterile disposable materials such as gauze, cotton swabs, tweezers, and scissors or a stitch cutter. The tweezers and scissors do not need to be sterile and can be replaced by clean, reusable ones that are cleaned and disinfected. This means the final sterilisation step is omitted after cleaning and disinfection. Mechanical cleaning (thermal disinfection) is preferred over manual cleaning.
