Exploring the overuse of non-sterile gloves in operating theatres: a cross-sectional survey and interview study
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Objectives: To identify factors influencing unnecessary non-sterile glove use in operating theatres, and to
estimate how common these factors are across the UK.
Design: Mixed-methods study using interviews and a cross-sectional survey.
Setting: Imperial College Healthcare Trust for interviews, and nationally across the UK for the survey.
Participants: 19 interviewees and 329 survey respondents, all clinical staff working in UK operating theatres.
Outcome measures: Barriers and facilitators to unnecessary non-sterile glove use in operating theatres.
Results: The findings highlight a combination of key drivers leading to the unnecessary use of non-sterile
gloves: (1) lack of prioritisation of sustainability, (2) fears around negative patient outcomes, (3) strong social
influences such as norms to use gloves, (4) the absence of clear guidelines and limited training on glove use, (5)
availability of alternatives and quality of gloves, and (6) beliefs about personal safety and habitual glove use.
Respondents also suggested potential intervention strategies.
Conclusions: 67% of participants reported using gloves unnecessarily. Our findings highlight the role of
habitual behaviour, social influences and unclear guidelines in driving this practice. Interventions should address these factors, for example by clearly communicating when gloves should and should not be worn, encouraging changes to local social norms towards waste reduction, improving access to hand gel, and supporting habit change to reduce unnecessary glove use and associated environmental impact.
estimate how common these factors are across the UK.
Design: Mixed-methods study using interviews and a cross-sectional survey.
Setting: Imperial College Healthcare Trust for interviews, and nationally across the UK for the survey.
Participants: 19 interviewees and 329 survey respondents, all clinical staff working in UK operating theatres.
Outcome measures: Barriers and facilitators to unnecessary non-sterile glove use in operating theatres.
Results: The findings highlight a combination of key drivers leading to the unnecessary use of non-sterile
gloves: (1) lack of prioritisation of sustainability, (2) fears around negative patient outcomes, (3) strong social
influences such as norms to use gloves, (4) the absence of clear guidelines and limited training on glove use, (5)
availability of alternatives and quality of gloves, and (6) beliefs about personal safety and habitual glove use.
Respondents also suggested potential intervention strategies.
Conclusions: 67% of participants reported using gloves unnecessarily. Our findings highlight the role of
habitual behaviour, social influences and unclear guidelines in driving this practice. Interventions should address these factors, for example by clearly communicating when gloves should and should not be worn, encouraging changes to local social norms towards waste reduction, improving access to hand gel, and supporting habit change to reduce unnecessary glove use and associated environmental impact.
Date Issued
2026-06-01
Date Acceptance
2026-05-14
Citation
BMJ Open, 2026, 16 (6)
ISSN
2044-6055
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
Journal / Book Title
BMJ Open
Volume
16
Issue
6
Copyright Statement
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ Group. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon this work for any purpose, provided the original work is properly cited, a link to the licence is given, and indication of whether changes were made. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1136/bmjopen-2025-102835
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
e102835
Date Publish Online
2026-06-02