Gloves Off Campaign

Abstract

Background: Healthcare contributes 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Excessive gloves use not only generates environmental waste and carbon emissions but also increases financial costs and the risk of cross-contamination. An initial survey at Southmead Hospital revealed that 50% of staff wore gloves unnecessarily and wearing non-sterile gloves correlated with a 23% reduction in hand hygiene compliance.

Methods: To address this, we introduced stickers on glove dispensers highlighting inappropriate glove use scenarios in the Emergency Department (ED) and Radiology. In the ED, this intervention was paired with an educational campaign featuring the staff ‘message of the week’, emails, and external hand hygiene training. Radiology received only the sticker intervention.

Results: Over two months, glove use dropped significantly. In total, usage fell by 61.4% with annual savings projected at over £25,000, 1 million gloves, and 36 tonnes of CO₂e. ED saw a reduction of 63.3%, Radiology saw a 54.2% reduction with the sticker intervention alone. June data was excluded due to supply chain documentation errors.

Conclusion: Glove dispenser stickers effectively reduced unnecessary glove use, with additional reductions achieved through education. This initiative highlights the potential for scaling sustainable practices across healthcare, aligning with infection control and environmental goals.