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 washable isolation gowns.
Exclusion: isolation gowns that are used in the operating rooms.
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.
Environmental impact
Measured in CO2-emissions by reducing the number of disposable isolation gowns and reusing washable isolation gowns. Want to know more about the environmental impact? See the bottom of this page for more information.
Current situation
Use a disposable insulation jacket once* = 0.55 kg CO2-eq
New situation
Use and wash a washable insulation jacket once = 0.14 kg CO2-eq
-75% CO2
Switching from disposable isolation gowns to washable isolation gowns reduces the environmental impact at least 75%.
* Disposable isolation gowns have a water-repellent layer. A small amount of water-repellent material was assumed. If an insulation jacket contains more of this material, the environmental impact increases.
Using a washable insulation jacket 100 times instead of a disposable one saves at least
41
kg CO2-eq
and is equivalent to driving 210 km
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.
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.
Monitoring parameters
Reducing blood testing
Blood samples are an essential part of patient care, but they also generate waste and take time. Nurses play an important role at the start of this process and, together with physicians and nurse specialists, can explore ways to reduce the number of blood samples performed.
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.
General resources
Paper medication cup
Medication is often administered several times a day in plastic cups, which generates a large amount of waste. Paper medication cups suitable for liquids (containing less than 5% plastic) offer a more sustainable alternative. In some cases, however, a plastic cup remains necessary, for example when crushing medication.
