Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health

Introduction: The healthcare sector contributes 5.4–7.0% of Australia’s total carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Among the most ubiquitous items used in healthcare organisations, whether it be hospital, clinic, or community health centres, are gloves.

Methods: We reviewed two case studies of the “Gloves Off!” sustainability initiative to compare reduction in glove use and improvement in hand hygiene practice—one that featured a “low-intensity” campaign (Hospital A) and the other a “high-intensity” campaign (Hospital B).

Results: A comparison of glove use over the year before and after implementation of the Gloves Off! campaign shows that Hospital A achieved a 2.6% reduction (0.4% reduction per patient), while Hospital B achieved an 11.4% reduction in total glove consumption (7.8% reduction in glove use per patient).

Conclusion: Sustainability initiatives can be initiated within busy emergency departments with reduced unnecessary use of nonsterile gloves, decreased CO₂ emissions, and cost savings.