Why veterinary teams are rethinking routine glove use: full analysis

A new VETgirl podcast is putting a familiar clinic habit under the microscope: when should veterinary teams actually put on non-sterile gloves? In the April 13, 2026 episode, Dr. Justine Lee spoke with Dr. Diccon Westworth of VCA Animal Care Center of Sonoma County about appropriate glove use, hand hygiene, hand health, and sustainability in the veterinary setting. Westworth’s role on his hospital’s sustainability team and on the board of the Veterinary Sustainability Alliance gives the conversation added weight as practices look more closely at disposable supply use. (music.amazon.in)

The backdrop is a broader rethinking of infection prevention in veterinary medicine. The 2015 NASPHV Compendium of Veterinary Standard Precautions, still widely referenced in the field, emphasizes that gloves are important barrier protection when contact with feces, body fluids, vomitus, exudates, non-intact skin, or contaminated materials is likely. But it also says gloves are not necessary for examining, handling, vaccinating, or drawing blood from most healthy animals when good hand hygiene is used. That distinction matters because veterinary medicine has historically had a less developed infection-prevention culture outside high-risk settings than human healthcare, even as awareness of healthcare-associated infections has grown. (aaha.org)

Westworth’s comments in the podcast track closely with the evidence base now emerging around non-sterile glove use. A 2025 review on PubMed, co-authored by Westworth, concluded that excessive and inappropriate use of non-sterile medical gloves can hinder effective infection prevention and control, create staff health risks, add unnecessary costs, and generate avoidable environmental harm. More recently, a 2026 commentary in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology argued for “glove stewardship,” noting that glove overuse can reduce hand hygiene compliance and should be addressed as both an infection-prevention and sustainability issue. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Current veterinary guidance is more nuanced than a simple “always glove” rule. The NASPHV compendium says gloves should be changed between animals, between dirty and clean procedures on the same patient, and whenever torn, and they should never be washed and reused. It also states that glove use does not replace hand hygiene because microperforations can go unnoticed and contamination can occur during removal. AAHA’s infection-control guidelines reinforce procedure-based glove use, including recommendations for clean examination gloves before catheter-site preparation and clean or sterile gloves for catheter insertion. (aaha.org)

Industry reaction is still developing, but the sustainability angle is clearly gaining traction. The Veterinary Sustainability Alliance describes itself as a nonprofit focused on embedding sustainability into the North American veterinary sector, and Westworth’s leadership role there suggests this conversation is moving beyond one podcast episode into a larger operational discussion. At the same time, recent healthcare literature outside veterinary medicine is framing glove selection and use through a dual lens of patient safety and environmental impact, which may influence how veterinary hospitals revise PPE policies. (veterinarysustainabilityalliance.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, the practical takeaway is that glove use works best when it’s tied to risk, not habit. Over-gloving can create a false sense of security, reduce hand hygiene compliance, worsen dermatitis or latex-related skin issues in some staff, and increase spending on disposable supplies. Under-gloving, of course, raises its own risks in dentistry, wound care, isolation, sample handling, and other splash- or contamination-prone tasks. The operational sweet spot is a protocol that makes gloves easy to access when indicated, trains staff on when they are and aren’t needed, and reinforces hand hygiene before and after patient contact and glove removal. (aaha.org)

For practice leaders, this also connects infection control with workforce and business realities. Better glove policies can support staff safety, reduce avoidable waste, and help standardize care across doctors, technicians, assistants, and support staff. In clinics already tracking sustainability metrics or supply costs, glove use may become one of the more visible places where clinical quality improvement and environmental stewardship overlap. That doesn’t mean using fewer gloves across the board; it means using the right gloves, for the right task, at the right time. (music.amazon.in)

What to watch: The next step will likely be whether more hospitals turn this discussion into written glove-use and hand-hygiene protocols, staff training, and audit-based infection-prevention programs, particularly as veterinary sustainability initiatives continue to mature in 2026 and beyond. (veterinarysustainabilityalliance.org)