Abstract
The quadruple burden of diseases, early discharge from hospital and hospital at home have resulted in home-based care services becoming a requirement in South Africa. These home-based care services generate a significant amount of health care risk waste that is mismanaged. More attention is given to the health care risk waste generated in hospitals and clinics than to health care risk waste generated by home-based caregivers. Therefore, this study investigates the health care risk waste management practices by home-based caregivers. The study adopted a mixed research approach, qualitative and quantitative methods, using a literature review, interviews, and questionnaires as means of data collection. Results show that there are different types of health care risk waste generated as a result of different activities performed by home-based caregivers, but that the waste was found to be managed in an unsafe manner. The majority of households receiving home-based care did not have basic sanitation facilities such as toilets, running water and waste removal services, aggravating the issue of health care risk waste mismanagement. The study recommends a new policy framework that will lead to safe management practices of generated health care risk waste to be adopted by home-based caregivers.
Highlights
IntroductionQuadruple burden of disease means that South Africa is experiencing a mixture of four colliding epidemics
South Africa is currently experiencing what is termed by the National Department of Health a quadruple burden of diseases that are chronic in nature [1]
This is because the majority of South Africans rely solely on public health care facilities because they are living below the poverty line and are unable to afford private health care [5]
Summary
Quadruple burden of disease means that South Africa is experiencing a mixture of four colliding epidemics. These epidemics are human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and tuberculosis, maternal and child mortality, non-communicable diseases, and violence leading to injuries and trauma [1]. There are numerous people that require medical attention as a result of this quadruple burden, and their number is increasing on a daily basis [3]. Both the public and the private health care facilities are strained as a result [4]. This is because the majority of South Africans rely solely on public health care facilities because they are living below the poverty line and are unable to afford private health care [5]
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