Healthcare Waste Research Articles

Health Care Waste Assessment in a Secondary Health Care Facility in Anambra State, Nigeria

Background: Proper management of waste generated in healthcare facilities is very important for patient safety, disease containment, and the general safety of healthcare workers in the facilities. It is important that healthcare workers have a good knowledge of healthcare waste management, develops good attitude towards healthcare waste management and practices standard health care waste management protocols as stipulated by the World Health Organization. Objectives: This study therefore assessed the knowledge, attitude and practice of health care waste management among health care workers in Borromeo Hospital, Anambra State. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out among healthcare workers selected using multistage sampling technique in 6 categories of healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, lab scientists/technicians, pharmacists/technicians, hospital attendants) in Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha, using a pre-tested, semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 22 and associations and correlations between dependent and independent variables were tested at the bivariate level using Pearson Chi-square test and t-test as appropriate. The level of statistical significance was set at 5%. Results: A total of 73 healthcare workers were studied. Most of the respondents were female nurses with 0-5 years of working experience.58.9% of respondents had a very good knowledge of health care waste management and 37% had a relatively good knowledge. Majority of respondents (85%) agreed that HBV immunization prevents hospital transmission while 79.4% disagreed that containment of sharps does not help in safe management of hospital wastes.89% of the respondents adheres strictly to waste management regulations while only 2.7% of the respondents do not wear gloves in handling medical waste. Most of the respondents (83.6%) agreed that the number of patients in the facility was the single main factor .......

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Selected Staff Categories towards Healthcare Waste Management in District General Hospital Matale

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Selected Staff Categories towards Healthcare Waste Management in District General Hospital Matale

Impacts of the COVID-19/2020 pandemic on the waste sector of Rio de Janeiro municipality, Brazil: Assessment on solid waste production in 2018 – 2023

The COVID-19/2020 crisis impacted several sectors of our society, including solid waste management (SWM). Changes in waste generation trends ─ quantity and composition ─ have been reported worldwide. Assessing waste data creates the opportunity to provide decision-makers with adequate knowledge to respond effectively to future pandemic-like situations. This work draws on data on household solid waste, healthcare waste (HCW), and recyclables collected in the Rio de Janeiro municipality, analyzed from January 2018 to December 2023. As expected, the collection of HCW in Rio de Janeiro experienced a noticeable increase in 2020 and 2021, with an average of 46.9 and 54.3 tonnes collected per month, respectively. Notably, 2021 saw a significant 42 % increase compared to 2019 (p-value < 0.001), and recyclables experienced a rise higher than 40 % in 2022 and 2023 compared with 2018–2020 (p-value < 0.05). To enhance the SWM in Rio de Janeiro, we suggest 1) Investing in thermal and thermochemical treatments for hazardous waste and non-recyclable residues, 2) Decentralized waste valorization solutions like home-composting practice and decentralized anaerobic digestion systems, and 3) Implementing oriented public awareness campaigns, enforcement of solid waste separation at the source, and creation of recycling programs considering local circumstances. This study offers a template for municipalities facing similar challenges in SWM during public health emergencies and beyond.

Critical success factors for the adoption of circular economy in sustainable healthcare waste management

Critical success factors for the adoption of circular economy in sustainable healthcare waste management

Assessment of Awareness, Attitude, and Consequences of Healthcare Waste Among Health Workers at Health Facilities In Southeast Nigeria

Healthcare waste which consists of waste materials generated at healthcare facilities is hazardous to both the environment and human life. However, many people are unaware of the dangers of medical wastes. Previous studies have neglected the assessment of the level of awareness and attitude of health workers toward healthcare waste. Therefore, this study assesses the level of awareness of healthcare workers about the dangers and their attitude toward the waste and its implications. The study, which employed cross-sectional design with 334 participants, was conducted in Southeast Nigeria. Data collection was through questionnaire and in-depth interview guide. Data analyzed through descriptive statistics revealed that the level of awareness of health workers about the dangers of healthcare waste is high; their attitude toward healthcare waste is poor; and that the consequences of mismanaged healthcare waste are devastating. Therefore, healthcare facilities should have a functional waste management policy, train their staff on ways of handling waste and educate the public about dangers of healthcare waste.

Medical waste generation rate and management practices among government hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia. A descriptive survey.

Healthcare facilities generate medical waste, also known as healthcare waste or health facility waste, during the healthcare delivery process, which is improperly managed as a result of underfunded healthcare systems, poor training, and lack of awareness of policies and legislation on handling medical waste as well as do not have national guidelines in place to adhere to the correct disposal of such wastage in developing countries like Ethiopia. To estimate the healthcare waste generation rate among selected public hospitals in eastern Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study design was conducted in eight public in eastern Ethiopia from 1st June 2023 to 30th July 2023. The "Bed-Patient-healthcare wastes" model was used to estimate the healthcare waste generation rate based on WHO and empirical evidence. HCW generation rate = No of (Inpatients (Inpts) + Outpatients (Outpts))/day*0.53 kg/day. Meanwhile, general (GW), infectious (IW), pharmaceutical (PW), sharps (SW), and pathological (PtW) are computed as follows: GW = No. of (Inpt + Oupt)/day*0.53 kg/day and IW, PW, SW, and PtW = No. of Inpts/day*0.53 kg/day. In contrast, for hazardous and non-hazardous healthcare wastes, No of HCWs/day*0.8 and no. of HCWs/day*0.2 were utilized, and Key informant interviews and field observational were also applied. Descriptive analysis such as percentage, mean, and standard deviation were presented. According to the current assessment, 105.1-142.8 kg/day healthcare waste was generated from outpatient and 167.3-244.2 kg/day from inpatients of public hospitals. From these, the Mean ± SD of daily healthcare waste generation rate estimated by non-hazardous and hazardous waste were 164.6 ± 80.9 kg/patients/day and 41.2 ± 20.2 kg/patients/day, respectively. In daily generation, the mean and standard deviations (Mean ± SD) of general wastes, infections waste, pharmaceutical wastes, sharp wastes, and pathological waste/patient were 62% (521.9), 23% (194.8), 4% (35.4), 2% (17.7), and 9% (70.9), respectively. The current assessment concluded that a large volume of healthcare waste is generated from selected public hospitals, which were not effectively segregated, separated at the source, and haven't conventional or standard treatment. As a result, the study advised that regional and global collaboration in hospital waste and wastewater management be encouraged.

Healthcare Waste Management: connections with sustainable nursing care.

To understand the meanings revealed by nurses about sustainable care in its connections with the management of Healthcare Waste in hospital. Qualitative research, whose theoretical and methodological references were, respectively, Complexity Theory and Grounded Theory. Nursing professionals from a public hospital in Rio de Janeiro participated in the study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The actions-interactions signified by the nursing staff, for the management of Healthcare Waste, revealed an understanding of the socio-environmental responsibility of the rational use of material resources; of the need for permanent education to promote environmental education; of the need to supervise the proper management of waste. The professionals perceive themselves as a driving force for reordering positive changes in this context. The participants signaled implications between knowledge, rational use of materials, waste generation and disposal, health economics and quality of care. From these connections, we can deduce the complex meaning of sustainable hospital nursing care in the context of Healthcare Waste management.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C viruses among waste handlers in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus are the leading causes of global liver-related morbidity and mortality. Waste handlers are one of the high-risk groups for hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus acquisition. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the pooled prevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus among waste handlers in Ethiopia. Articles were extensively searched in bibliographic databases and gray literature using entry terms or phrases. Studies meeting eligibility criteria were extracted in MS Excel and exported to STATA version 14 software for statistical analysis. A random-effects model was used to compute the pooled magnitude of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus. Heterogeneity was quantified by using the I2 value. Publication bias was assessed using a funnel plot and Egger's test. Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the impact of a single study on pooled effect size. Of the 116 studies identified, 8 studies were selected for meta-analysis. All studies reported hepatitis B virus, while 5 studies reported hepatitis C virus infection among waste handlers. The overall pooled prevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection among waste handlers in Ethiopia was 5.07% (2.0-8.15) and 1.46% (0.52-2.4), respectively. Moreover, the pooled prevalence of lifetime hepatitis B virus exposure among Ethiopian waste handlers was 33.98% (95% CI: 21.24-46.72). Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection were not statistically associated with the type of waste handlers, that is, there was no difference between medical and nonmedical waste handlers. CRD42023398686. The pooled prevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection among waste handlers in Ethiopia was intermediate and moderate, respectively. This showed that there is a strong need to scale up preventive efforts and strategic policy directions to limit the spread of these viruses. Moreover, we also conclude that handling healthcare and domestic waste is associated with a similar risk of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection.

Health care waste management in nosocomial infection control in a hospital in San Juan de Lurigancho, 2023

The objective of the research is to determine the incidence of healthcare waste management in the control of nosocomial infections associated with care. Its research study with quantitative approach, basic non-experimental type, with a cross-sectional causal correlational design. The population of 350 workers, with a sample of 250 workers who participated in data collection, two instruments were applied, the first was a questionnaire with 34 items and the second a questionnaire with 31 items, both questionnaires validated by expert judgment and assessed by Cronbach's Alpha reliability test, with the results for healthcare waste management α = 0,894 and for nosocomial infection control reliability was α = 0,871. For inferential analysis, ordinal linear regression statistics and the Nagelkerke coefficient were used. The results obtained from the evaluation of healthcare waste management in a San Juan de Lurigancho hospital revealed a considerably high incidence, with a worrying 48 % classified as inadequate. This finding indicates a significant deficiency in waste management practices in the hospital that affects nosocomial infection control, reaching 45 %, suggesting a direct incidence. The conclusion is that sanitary waste management is inadequate and has a negative influence of 75,3 % on infection control

The Situation of Health Care Waste Management in Pokhara Metropolitan City, Nepal

The Situation of Health Care Waste Management in Pokhara Metropolitan City, Nepal

Development and Application of Integrated Indicators for Assessing Healthcare Waste Management Systems in Kenyan Hospitals

Development and Application of Integrated Indicators for Assessing Healthcare Waste Management Systems in Kenyan Hospitals

Evaluation of &lt;i&gt;Geobacillus stearothermophilus&lt;/i&gt; inactivation in a healthcare waste treatment by autoclaving

Evaluation of &lt;i&gt;Geobacillus stearothermophilus&lt;/i&gt; inactivation in a healthcare waste treatment by autoclaving

Healthcare Waste Management: connections with sustainable nursing care

RESUMO Objetivo: Compreender os significados desvelados pela enfermagem sobre o cuidado sustentável em suas conexões com o gerenciamento de Resíduos de Serviços de Saúde no hospital. Método: Pesquisa qualitativa, cujos referenciais teórico e metodológico foram, respectivamente, a Teoria da Complexidade e a Teoria Fundamentada nos Dados. Participaram do estudo profissionais de enfermagem de um hospital público do Rio de Janeiro. Os dados foram coletados por entrevistas semiestruturadas. Resultados: As ações-interações significadas pela enfermagem, para o gerenciamento dos Resíduos dos Serviços de Saúde, revelaram a compreensão sobre a responsabilidade socioambiental do uso racional de recursos materiais; da necessidade de educação permanente para promover educação ambiental; da necessidade de supervisão o gerenciamento adequado dos resíduos. Os profissionais se percebem como força motriz para reordenar mudanças positivas nesse contexto. Conclusão: Os participantes sinalizaram implicações entre conhecimento, uso racional de materiais, geração e descarte de resíduos, economia da saúde e qualidade da assistência. Dessas conexões, depreende-se o sentido complexo de cuidado sustentável da enfermagem hospitalar no contexto do gerenciamento de Resíduos dos Serviços de Saúde.

The Challenge in Managing Healthcare Waste in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus in Brazil

The Challenge in Managing Healthcare Waste in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus in Brazil

Healthcare Waste Management Practices and Its Associated Factors Among Healthcare Workers in Health Facilities in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Introduction: Waste Management Practices have garnered growing interest in hospitals, research facilities, and laboratories over the past few years. However, there seems to be noticeable absence of a comprehensive understanding regarding research on waste management practices in health facilities among healthcare workers. Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with healthcare waste management practices among healthcare workers in Ethiopia. Methods: The search was performed by using the Web of Science (WoS) database, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library. To assess the presence of publication bias, by using funnel plots, contour-enhanced funnel plots, trim and fill analysis, and Begg and Egger regression test. A significance level of P ⩽ .05 was used to indicate potential publication bias. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed using the I2 statistics. Results: From retrieved original studies, 15 studies were included in the meta-analysis with a total of n = 5260 healthcare workers. The pooled prevalence of waste management practices in Ethiopia was 52.86% (95% CI = 51.57, 54.15), with significant heterogeneity observed between studies ( I2 = 97.0%; P ⩽ .001). Sub-group analysis based on regional distribution in Ethiopia revealed that the highest prevalence of waste management practices was observed in Southern Nation and Nationalities and People’s Region with 61.9% (95% CI = 52.953, 64.449). Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that the pooled prevalence of waste management practices among healthcare workers in Ethiopia was notably low. Training and the presence of guidelines were significantly associated with waste management practices. The healthcare facilities have improved access to and availability of policies related to waste management and the Ministry of Health promotes their use through various means, including training for healthcare professionals.

Levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Healthcare Waste Incinerators’ Bottom Ash from Five County Hospitals in Kenya

Levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Healthcare Waste Incinerators’ Bottom Ash from Five County Hospitals in Kenya

Routing Optimization for Healthcare Waste Collection With Temporary Storing Risks and Sequential Uncertain Service Requests

Routing Optimization for Healthcare Waste Collection With Temporary Storing Risks and Sequential Uncertain Service Requests

Development of a curricular thread to foster medical students' critical reflection and promote action on climate change, health, and equity.

Due to the health consequences arising from climate change, medical students will inevitably interact with affected patients during their training and careers. Accordingly, medical schools must incorporate education on the impacts of climate change on health and equity into their curricula. We created a curricular thread called "Climate Change, Health, and Equity" in the first-year preclinical medical program to teach foundational concepts and foster self-reflection and critical consciousness. The authors developed a continuum of practice including administrators, educators and faculty members, students, and community partners to plan and design curricular activities. First-year medical students at Duke University School of Medicine participated in seven mandatory foundational lectures and two experiential learning opportunities in the local community. Following completion of activities, students wrote a critical reflection essay and completed a self-directed learning exercise. Essays were evaluated using the REFLECT rubric to assess if students achieved critical reflection and for thematic analysis by Bloom's Taxonomy. All students (118) submitted essays. A random sample of 30 (25%) essays underwent analysis. Evaluation by the REFLECT rubric underscored that all students were reflecting or critically reflecting on thread content. Thematic analysis highlighted that all students (30/30, 100%) were adept at identifying new areas of medical knowledge and connecting concepts to individual experiences, institutional practices, and public health and policy. Most students (27/30; 90%) used emotionally laden words, expressing negative feelings like frustration and fear but also positive sentiments of solidarity and hope regarding climate change and effects on health. Many students (24/30; 80%) expressed actionable items at every level including continuing self-directed learning and conversing with patients, minimizing healthcare waste, and advocating for climate-friendly policies. After participating in the curricular thread, most medical students reflected on cognitive, affective, and actionable aspects relating to climate change, health, and equity.

Management of Biomedical Waste: An Overview of a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in India

Abstract Introduction: Waste is an inevitable result of health-care services that may pose a health risk. Health-care waste comprises of general, infectious, and chemical/radioactive waste. Preventing the spread of infection to health-care personnel, patients, attendants, and the community at large is the ultimate objective of biomedical waste management (BMWM). Materials and Methods: It was a descriptive study which explored available resources, considering physical facilities, equipment, and human resources. All the personnel engaged in the management of BMW were included with focus on their training and vaccination status. The workflow process for BMWM was documented. In addition, the quantities of Yellow, Red, Blue, and White Waste generated were recorded. BMW generated per bed per day was calculated for each category and also overall waste collected was calculated. Results: The hospital’s comprehensive waste management plan encompasses seven defined routes, ensuring coverage of the entire facility. The BMW produced during a month range from 32,201 to 44,390 kg with a total of 465,392 kg/year. The mean BMW generated was 38,782.67 kg and the average BMW generated per day was 1271.25 kg. BMW generated per bed per day came out to be 0.33 kg. Conclusion: Every employee involved in the management of BMW was vaccinated for Hepatitis B and Tetanus toxoid. Sixty-eight percent of the workforce involved in BMWM underwent regular BMW refresher training. The remaining 32% received BMW training at the commencement of their roles but did not undergo refresher training. Regularly refresher training sessions on BMWM should be conducted, maintaining accurate and up-to-date records.

Healthcare Waste Management; It's Impact: A Case Study of The Greater Accra Region

Healthcare Waste Management; It's Impact: A Case Study of The Greater Accra Region