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 using gloves if there is an indication.
Implementation approach
Look at 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.
Environmental impact
Measured in CO2-emissions by reducing the number of non-sterile gloves. Want to know more about the environmental impact? See the bottom of this page for more information.
The environmental impact has been calculated for one non-sterile glove
1 non-sterile glove = 0.026 kg CO2-eq
One glove may not seem like much, but because a lot of gloves are used in healthcare, saving can make a lot of difference!
Reducing 10,000 gloves saves
260
kg CO2-eq
and is equivalent to driving 1,334 km
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 is this 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.
View our other interventions
Nursing practice
Containers made from recycled plastic for specific hospital waste
Nursing wards produce a lot of waste, including specific hospital waste (SZA). Nurses collect this waste in separate SZA tanks, also known as Wiva barrels, recognisable by the blue barrel with a yellow lid. A more sustainable alternative made from recycled plastic, recognisable by its grey colour, has been developed.
Nursing practice
Reusable non-sterile suture removal set
Sutures can be removed with 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.
Nursing practice
Using the same infusion sets on every ward
When hospital departments use different IV systems, IV lines may need to be replaced when a patient is transferred because the systems are not compatible. This leads to unnecessary waste, takes additional time, and can cause discomfort for the patient. A single, standardised IV system prevents this.
