The World Health Organisation (WHO) acknowledges that wearing gloves is key in preventing the spread of infections, and not an alternative to cleaning hands at the right time. Hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to prevent the transmission of infections and provide high-quality, clean and safe medical care. WHO is urging governments, healthcare facilities and frontline workers around the world to reinforce hand hygiene practices.

Gloves can become contaminated when they are often misused, such as being worn indefinitely while healthcare workers switch between patients or when performing multiple procedures for the same patient. Additionally, overusing gloves contributes to environmental degradation. An average university hospital in a developed country generates approximately 1,634 tonnes of healthcare waste each year, equivalent to over 360 African elephants. Much of the waste could have been avoided if gloves had been used properly and good hand hygiene had been practised. The most commonly used gloves are considered infectious and require high-temperature incineration or specialised treatment, adding strain to already burdened waste management systems.

WHO is calling on national policymakers and healthcare leaders to take decisive action to strengthen hand hygiene practices and promote the rational use of gloves across healthcare systems. In light of growing concerns about infection prevention and the environmental impact of healthcare waste, the WHO emphasises the importance of adopting evidence-based strategies that protect both patients and healthcare workers.

A key recommendation is to establish hand hygiene compliance as a formal performance indicator within national health systems by 2026. This aligns with the newly launched Global Action Plan and Monitoring Framework on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for 2024–2030. By integrating hand hygiene into national accountability mechanisms, countries can elevate its importance and drive sustained improvements in the quality of care.

WHO also urges countries to harmonise their national hand hygiene strategies with its existing guidelines, ensuring consistency in training, implementation, and evaluation. Central to this is the “Five Moments for Hand Hygiene” approach, a proven method for reducing the spread of infections. Training healthcare workers to understand and apply this model, along with appropriate glove use, is crucial for building safer care environments.

Moreover, countries are encouraged to reduce unnecessary glove use, which not only minimises environmental waste but also helps prevent the false sense of security that can accompany glove misuse. Ensuring that healthcare workers have reliable access to clean water, hand sanitisers, and sufficient quantities of quality gloves at the point of care is essential for sustaining good hand hygiene practices.

By prioritising these measures, nations have an opportunity to safeguard public health, support the safety of health workers, and contribute to the global fight against healthcare-associated infections. It’s a practical, impactful shift, rooted in science and aimed at saving lives.

(WHO News)