Use of gloves not substitute for hand hygiene – Experts

Medical experts disclosed on Monday that gloves are not a substitute for hand hygiene, calling for a proper hand-washing culture among health professionals.

The experts made this known at an event in Benin to commemorate the 2025 World Hand Hygiene Day, with the theme “It might be gloves, but it’s always hand hygiene.”

They maintained that hand washing with soap and running water remained the most effective way to prevent healthcare-associated infections.

In his opening remark, Darlington Obaseki, Chief Medical Director of University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), explained that while gloves provide protection, hand hygiene is fundamental in preventing the spread of infections.

“If you don’t wash your hands properly with soap and running water and you just go and glove up, you are still at risk to our patients and to yourself,” he said.

Mr Obaseki, a professor asserted that provision of basic amenities such as running water, light, and consumables like soap are already standard in the hospital.

He, however, noted that leaders in healthcare systems had a responsibility to ensure minimum standards for safe treatment, including enforcement of these standards.

The Chief Medical Director also encouraged patients and their relatives to frequently wash their hands to reduce disease transmission.

In her keynote address, Tochi Okwor, Coordinator, National Infection Prevention Control (IPC) Programme said hand hygiene is not just a procedure, but a moral obligation and public health imperative.

Ms Okwor, who is also the Coordinator, Nigeria Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Coordination Committee, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), highlighted the role of hand hygiene in health security and AMR response.

“Every opportunity to clean our hands is an opportunity to save a life. Gloves are not a substitute for clean hands and misuse can turn them from protective barriers to instruments of contamination,” she said.

She called for integrated stewardship that combines IPC, AMR containment, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and diagnostic stewardship as the new national standard.

In her lecture, Edith Uwugiaren of Northamptonshire Healthcare, UK, tackled the widespread misuse of gloves in Nigerian hospitals, particularly where gloves were used unnecessarily or across multiple patients.

Mrs Uwugiaren said “Gloves protect the wearer, not the patient. Using gloves incorrectly increases the risk of hospital-acquired infections and undermines infection control.”

She likened improper glove use to “dancing without rhythm,” urging healthcare workers to match glove use to procedure type, much like dance steps match music beats.

Mrs Osagioduwa Oloru, Chief Environmental Health Officer of UBTH, in her lecture, educated healthcare personnel on proper disposal of used gloves to avert contamination of the environment.

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In her speech, Esohe Ogboghodo, Chair, IPC Committee, UBTH, said the hospital had made significant progress in reducing healthcare-associated infections, due to its commitment to infection prevention and control.

She said UBTH had implemented effective cleaning and disinfection protocols, health education, and linen management.

According to her, these efforts have yielded positive results, with a notable decrease in healthcare-associated infections.
(NAN)

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