- All topics
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
- Resources
- Fact sheets
- Facts in pictures
- Multimedia
- Podcasts
- Publications
- Questions and answers
- Tools and toolkits
- Popular
- Dengue
- Endometriosis
- Excessive heat
- Herpes
- Mental disorders
- Mpox
- All countries
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
- Regions
- Africa
- Americas
- Europe
- Eastern Mediterranean
- South-East Asia
- Western Pacific
- WHO in countries
- Data by country
- Country presence
- Country strengthening
- Country cooperation strategies
- All news
- News releases
- Statements
- Campaigns
- Events
- Feature stories
- Press conferences
- Speeches
- Commentaries
- Photo library
- Headlines
- Focus on
- Cholera
- Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
- Greater Horn of Africa
- Israel and occupied Palestinian territory
- Mpox
- Sudan
- Ukraine
- Latest
- Disease Outbreak News
- Situation reports
- Rapid risk assessments
- Weekly Epidemiological Record
- WHO in emergencies
- Surveillance
- Alert and response
- Operations
- Research
- Funding
- Partners
- Health emergency appeals
- International Health Regulations
- Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee
- Data at WHO
- Data hub
- Global Health Estimates
- Mortality
- Health inequality
- Dashboards
- Triple Billion Progress
- Health Inequality Monitor
- Delivery for impact
- COVID-19 dashboard
- Data collection
- Classifications
- SCORE
- Surveys
- Civil registration and vital statistics
- Routine health information systems
- Harmonized health facility assessment
- GIS centre for health
- Reports
- World Health Statistics
- UHC global monitoring report
- About WHO
- Partnerships
- Committees and advisory groups
- Collaborating centres
- Technical teams
- Organizational structure
- Who we are
- Our work
- Activities
- Initiatives
- General Programme of Work
- WHO Academy
- Funding
- Investment in WHO
- WHO Foundation
- Accountability
- External audit
- Financial statements
- Internal audit and investigations
- Programme Budget
- Results reports
- Governance
- Governing bodies
- World Health Assembly
- Executive Board
- Member States Portal
Frequently asked questions
It might be gloves. It's always hand hygiene
Section navigation
- World Hand Hygiene Day 2025
- Frequently asked questions
- Modifiable campaign materials
This information is taken from the WHO Guidelines on hand hygiene in health care, the WHO glove information leaflet and the WHO My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene resources. All resources are accessible on the hand hygiene technical page.
A lof of this information can be reinforced by playing the My 5 Moments of hand hygiene game.
Hand hygiene and medical glove use
What are medical gloves?
Medical gloves are disposable gloves used during medical procedures in health care. They include examination (sterile or non-sterile) gloves, surgical gloves, and medical gloves for handling chemotherapy agents (chemotherapy gloves).
Is wearing gloves safer than bare hands?
Medical gloves can get contaminated just as easily as bare hands and do not provide 100% protection.
When should medical gloves be worn?
Gloves should be worn as part of personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect health and care workers from body fluid exposure risk, and as such, be worn when a body fluid exposure risk is anticipated.
They provide an effective barrier to microbial transmission, in particular when hands are exposed to body fluids.
When should gloves be removed?
Gloves should be removed and hand hygiene performed immediately after what WHO calls "Moment 3 - after body fluid exposure risk”. Additionally, as soon as gloves become damaged, they should be removed and replaced.
Hand hygiene is needed after interacting with a patient and their surroundings, including if you have touched a contaminated body site which requires glove use. (Moment 3)
Do gloves worn in situations when their use is not indicated pose a problem for health care?
Yes. Medical gloves worn when not indicated represent a waste of resources without necessarily leading to a reduction of cross-transmission of germs.
Do medical gloves provide 100% protection?
No. The integrity of gloves can be affected by product quality, rips/tears and activity, meaning that hand hygiene still needs to be performed at key moments.
Does wearing gloves change the times for hand hygiene?
No. Glove use does not modify the times when hand hygiene in health care is indicated nor ever replace the need for hand hygiene, namely, rubbing with an alcohol-based product or by handwashing with soap and water, as per the 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene.
Do the times for wearing gloves change depending on the setting?
No. The WHO recommendations for glove use should be implemented regardless of the type of setting and the available resources.
What are some examples of glove misuse?
Glove misuse is observed regularly worldwide.
Even in facilities where gloves are available, health and care workers often don’t change them between patients or after touching different sites on the same patient, spreading microorganisms.
What are some of the reasons for inappropriate glove use?
Lack of knowledge about the actual indications for glove use during care delivery, can be one reason. Deficient glove procurement, in terms of quantity and quality, can also lead to inappropriate glove use, misuse or overuse, and may lead to unsafe practices.
Can gloves be re-used, including if cleaned with bleach or alcohol?
No. The reuse of gloves (even following decontamination or reprocessing), is not recommended. Medical gloves should not be washed, decontaminated, or reprocessed for any reuse purpose.
What is one solution to appropriate glove use?
Health workers should be educated on appropriate use of gloves, as well as on the 5 Moments for hand hygiene, within their routine care workflow.
What specialties might be interested in ensuring appropriate medical glove use and hand hygiene?
Those working on safe surgery, immunization/vaccination, clinical management, HIV and other bloodborne diseases, and nursing are among those who should understand that “it might be gloves, it’s always hand hygiene”.
Gloves and surgery
What are surgical gloves?
Surgical gloves are a particular type of medical glove. They are sterile and have specific characteristics related to their thickness, elasticity, strength.
What is the concern about gloves and surgery?
Some studies have shown that 18% of gloves have tiny punctures after surgery, and more than 80% of cases go unnoticed by the surgeon. After two hours of surgery, 35% of all gloves demonstrate puncture, thus allowing water and body fluids to penetrate the gloves without the use of pressure.
Does the use of gloves in surgery affect the times for hand hygiene?
No. The use of sterile gloves does not render surgical hand preparation unnecessary.
How should hands be prepared for surgery?
Before surgery, hands should be scrubbed using the correct technique with antimicrobial soap and water or an alcohol-based handrub. Brushes are not recommended. Then, sterile surgical gloves should be put on.
Why is surgical hand preparation important even when gloves are worn?
This is important, to maintain the lowest possible contamination of the surgical field, since glove punctures can occur even when sterile, surgical gloves are used. Surgical hand preparation will reduce the release of skin bacteria from the hands to the open wound, particularly in the case of an unnoticed puncture of the surgical glove. It should also eliminate transient flora and reduce resident flora.
Gloves and maternal and neonatal health (MNH)
Are the indications for glove use and hand hygiene different for maternal and neonatal care?
No. The principles of medical glove use (as part of PPE) and the WHO 5 Moments for hand hygiene apply to these settings and the most frequent interventions.
What are examples of hand hygiene and glove use in maternal care?
An example is, cleaning hands immediately before performing a clean/aseptic procedure and wearing gloves if body fluid exposure is anticipated (e.g., before vaginal examination, before cutting the umbilical cord and clamping, before drawing blood), to protect the women and newborn against harmful germs (including their own) from entering their bodies.
Another example is cleaning hands immediately after an exposure risk to body fluids (for example, after vaginal examination, after delivering the placenta, after handling an invasive medical device), having removed gloves and disposed of them as infectious waste, to protect yourself and the health care environment from harmful patient germs.
Personal protective equipment waste in healthcare
Do medical gloves in health care cause a waste generation problem?
Yes. Excessive use of gloves contributes a significant volume of health care waste. The appropriate use of gloves accompanied by hand hygiene action contributes to the minimization of waste.
How much waste is being generated in health care?
Pandemics tend to generate more PPE waste, including from gloves. During the COVID-19 pandemic, based on UN supply portal data, of the 87,000 tonnes of PPE shipped, close to half (36,000 tonnes) were gloves. Much of this glove volume which all becomes waste could have been avoided with good hand hygiene.
An average university hospital generates 1,634 tons of health care waste each year and this number is increasing 2-3% per year (especially since COVID-19); wealthier countries generate more waste, which is equivalent to about 360 elephants!
Data analysed on health care waste during the COVID-19 pandemic outlined that large volumes of gloves were procured even though they were not recommended for vaccinations, testing, nor simple consultations (noting that facilities may have requested them to use for other medical procedures).
What is the status of waste services in health care globally?
In 2021, 54% of health care facilities have basic health care waste services, although this drops to 31% in the least developed countries. Based on 2025 data from 100countries, 58% countries have published, up to date waste standards and a further 32% with standards which require updating or finalizing. Countries are taking more action on waste standards compared to other national actions to support better WASH and waste systems in health care facilities. This serves to highlight the importance of not overusing nor misusing gloves to prevent an impact on health care waste services, and the environment/climate.
What can help to achieve best practice and save resources?
Knowledge dissemination and practical training on the appropriate use of gloves, alongside the 5 Moments for hand hygiene are foremost interventions.
The impact of gloves on the environment
What impact can gloves have on the environment?
Gloves contaminated with blood or body fluid are considered hazardous infection waste. Some kinds of gloves or other PPE contain chlorine. When health care waste containing chlorine is burned, it produces dioxins and furans. These toxic substances accumulate in the body and can impact our health by causing reproductive and developmental issues, harm the immune system, disrupt hormones, and even lead to cancer. One source of chlorine in health care waste is PVC plastic found in medical devices like gloves and blood bags.
Strategies to support glove use and hand hygiene
What can health administrators do?
Health administrators are encouraged to purchase good quality, disposable, medical gloves and replenish stocks, alongside supplies for cleaning hands, as per the 5 Moments for hand hygiene. They can also actively promote appropriate use of gloves and hand hygiene while highlighting the waste implications of overusing gloves.
What can those working at the national level on infection prevention control do?
Include hand hygiene within national infection prevention and control strategies, as well asstandard operating procedures at the facility level.
What else should leaders do?
Follow the recommendations of the WHO Global action plan and monitoring framework 2024–2030.
