Sustainability interventions in nursing wards
General resources
Reusable isolation gown
Isolation gowns are part of personal protective equipment and are used in specific isolation protocols. Due to their high consumption in hospitals, disposable isolation gowns have a significant environmental impact1.
Intervention
Replace disposable isolation gowns with reusable ones.
Exclusion: Isolation gowns used in operating rooms are not included in this intervention.
Environmental impact
Measured in CO₂ emissions, based on the reduction in disposable isolation gowns and the reuse of washable gowns.
Implementation approach
Look at the implementation approach for a (reusable) product and consult the step-by-step guide for more information on setting objectives, implementation and evaluation.
When is it implemented?
This intervention is considered implemented when nursing units in the hospital have switched to reusable isolation gowns and the difference in CO₂-equivalent (kg) has been calculated.
How is this measured?
The environmental impact of this intervention can be determined using the purchase data of the number of disposable isolation gowns, see method of measuring intervention with purchasing data.
Resources
click here for the video created by OLVG about their reusable isolation gowns.
click here for the Green ICU best practice for isolation gowns.
click here for an example from the United States where a hospital switched to reusable gowns, resulting in a reduction of 297 tonnes of waste.
Footnotes
- Dutch Federation of University Medical Centers. (June 2024). National inventory of UMCs medical disposables.
Resultaten
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View our other interventions
ADL
Ruducing absorbent mat use
Disposable absorbent 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, absorbent mats have a significant environmental impact1.
Nursing practice
Containers made from recycled plastic for specific hospital waste
Nursing units produce large amounts of waste, including specific hospital waste (SHW). Nurses collect this waste in separate SHW containers, also known as WIVA containers, identifiable by their blue bins with yellow lids. A more sustainable alternative made from recycled plastic has been developed, recognisable by its grey colour.
Nursing practice
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.
