NEWS RCN calls to reduce glove use to protect planet
The Royal College of Nursing is calling on health and care staff to think ‘is this necessary?’ every time they reach for the examination gloves. Cutting glove use will not only help protect against damage to the hands caused by overuse of gloves but also cut plastic waste and protect the environment. A staggering 12.7 billion gloves were sent for use in the NHS and social care in England alone between 25 February 2020 to 31 March 2022. This compares to 1.7 billion in 2019. When used in the right circumstances, and correctly, gloves are a valuable part of the PPE available to protect staff. But overuse of gloves carries its own risk, not only of infection but also damage to the hands. This can lead to painful cracks and sores
that don’t heal, resulting in needing to take time away from clinical areas. For some, the condition can become debilitating and make it difficult to carry on in nursing. Added to this, the plastic these gloves are made from is derived from oil, the production of which contributes to climate change and environmental pollution. They are often produced outside of the UK and travel thousands of miles to reach healthcare staff. While gloves are essential tools for some tasks, they are not required for others. For
instance, gloves are required when in contact with blood or body fluids, broken skin and harmful drugs or chemicals. They are not, however, needed for procedures such as: l Giving vaccinations l Taking blood pressure l Helping patients to stand, eat or drink.
RCN professional lead for infection prevention and control, Rose Gallagher, said: “Nursing staff have always instinctively
New tool to assess Long COVID symptoms
A comprehensive tool that can assess the symptoms of Long COVID has been developed at the University of Birmingham for use in research and clinical care. Developed with patients that have lived experience of Long COVID, the tool can capture symptoms and their impact on everyday life.
Currently more than 200 symptoms are associated with Long COVID which can affect people for months after the original coronavirus infection has gone. These can affect many organs in the body and include breathlessness, fatigue, or brain fog and are estimated to affect around 1.3 million people in the UK and more than 100 million people worldwide. Healthcare providers and researchers need reliable ways of measuring these symptoms as they are experienced by patients to help them develop new treatments and provide the best possible care. A team from the University of Birmingham’s Centre for Patient-Reported Outcomes Research designed the Symptom Burden Questionnaire for Long COVID to address this challenge. Patients can use it to report symptoms and the data can be used to help identify treatments, and test whether these are safe and effective. The approach is
JUNE 2022
published in the BMJ. “People living with Long COVID say they experience a huge range of symptoms but getting these recognised by healthcare practitioners and policy-makers has been a struggle,” said senior author, Dr. Sarah Hughes. “We designed and tested this tool with our patient partners to ensure it is as comprehensive as possible, while also not being burdensome for patients to complete.” The questionnaire was developed with extensive patient input, following regulatory guidance, meaning its scores may be used to support regulatory decisions around the approval of new therapies for Long COVID and by policymakers.
The study was carried out in partnership with patient data technology specialist, Aparito, and funded by the National Institute for Health Research and UK Research and Innovation.
The team plans to carry out more development and testing to explore how the tool can be used in routine clinical practice, including translating it for use in other countries and minority ethnic communities. Further details regarding the measure and access for use can be found at: www.
birmingham.ac.uk/sbq
turned to examination gloves as a first line of protection and the pandemic saw a massive increase in their use. They are, however, not always necessary and their overuse can lead to long-term and sometimes permanent damage to the hands. Nursing staff can be reassured that hand hygiene is a highly effective way of protecting themselves from viruses such as COVID-19, which means we can reduce glove use safely when they are not required.”
Updated NICE guidelines
NICE has recommended to update its Medical Technologies Guidance 36 (MTG36) to reflect changes in the technology from Peristeen to Peristeen Plus (a transanal irrigation system for treating constipation and faecal incontinence). The review of NICE Guidance MTG36 recommends that Peristeen Plus can be used by a wide range of people, from children to adults, although the patient must receive thorough instructions from a healthcare professional before using this product. Evidence submitted to NICE showed that used routinely, daily or every other day, Peristeen Plus is a cost-effective solution to optimise bowel dysfunction and reduce the severity that faecal incontinence and chronic constipation can bring. This gives patients improved quality of life and helps to promote their dignity and independence. The updated NICE guidance reaffirms that there is a cost-effective solution available for the estimated 1 in 7 adults and 1 in 3 children who suffer from chronic constipation at any one time.
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