The participation of the surgical block in the recycling of its supplies

Abstract

Health services contribute as a potential source of waste generation, with a large volume of supplies that are discarded in the preparation of the operating room. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the advances on the recycling of supplies discarded in the operating room (OR) and in the material sterilization center (CME). A bibliometric analysis was performed with data collection in the Web of Science database, in articles published from 2018 to 2023. The following keywords were used: hospital waste; recycling and surgical waste. Sixteen articles were found. The studies showed that negative characteristics are attributed to hospital waste for causing damage to public health and the environment, and that this contributes to the segregation and improper disposal of this waste. More studies are needed to evaluate the probability of reuse or recycling to mitigate the damage to public health and the negative impacts on the environment. The CC and the CME may contribute when properly selected and segregated. It is also worth noting that there are limitations of studies in Brazil.