Analysis of Sustainability in Hospital Laundry: The Social, Environmental, and Economic (Cost) Risks

Catia Lopes,Mauricio De Carvalho,Annibal Scavarda,Guilherme Vaccaro,André Korzenowski

doi:10.3390/resources8010037

Abstract

Personal and physical injuries are two of the most relevant costs to hospitals. Hospital laundries are sources of these costs due to the physical and health risks present in the clothes and the activities performed. Energy and environmental risk and infrastructure issues also incur operational costs to these organizations and to the health system. This research analyzes the social, environmental, and economic risk in the hospital laundry process, through a multiple-case-study design. Data collection methods include interviews regarding three hospital laundry services in Brazil. The processes of these laundry services have a high consumption of resources (water and energy) and a substantial generation of solid and liquid wastes. Cost reduction actions include pooled laundry services and material substitution. There are also social and environmental risks, the most frequent being ergonomic, biological, and chemical hazards, and injures from sharp devices inadequately disposed. Hospital laundries need more sustainable operations, not only in the infrastructure, but also mostly in the awareness of leaders and teams about the importance of their engagements to resource management and waste reduction in laundry. It is opportune to convince professionals and users about changing habits that do not prioritize sustainability, especially its social and environmental aspects.

Highlights

The search for quality improvement in goods and services by health institutions, public and private, is increasing
It offers more accurate results, as different sources are compared against each other. These case studies are based on unstructured face-to-face interviews and observations that the researchers conducted in the laundry services of three hospitals
It provides an overview of risks and, the costs of hospital laundry services

Summary

Introduction

The search for quality improvement in goods and services by health institutions, public and private, is increasing. Health service providers are seeking to rationalize their costs (the costs were deemed as a risk factor for economic sustainability in this research) [3]. Hospitals are committed to the provision of services with quality, efficiency, and effectiveness [4]. This commitment requires that all sectors involved (such as administration, laboratories, operating rooms, resource management, laundry, cafeteria, and maintenance) interact to provide favorable working conditions for the care of patients in the best possible way [5,6]. According to Hamel [7], and Lawler and Worley [8], management is the combustion engine; it is a mature technology that must be Resources 2019, 8, 37; doi:10.3390/resources8010037 www.mdpi.com/journal/resources

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