When used correctly, medical gloves are a vital part of personal protective equipment (PPE). But there are many occasions when gloves are not needed and hand hygiene is completely effective in protecting you and your patients.
Nursing staff can be reassured that hand hygiene is a highly effective way of protecting yourself from viruses such as COVID-19, which means you can reduce glove use safely when they are not required.
Why this matters
Gloves are one of the most common single-use plastic items in health care. Between 25 February 2020 and 24 February 2021, 5.5 billion gloves were used in the NHS and social care in England alone. By making one change to reduce unnecessary glove use we can help make health care more sustainable.
Watch this video with RCN Deputy President Tracy Budding for more information.