Assessment of Waste Management in educational hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2013

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background and Objectives: Over the last several decades, huge amounts of different kinds of wastes have been produced by human activities and alterations in man’s lifestyle and consumption patterns. Medical sciences are among the world’s top advanced professional sections. However, it seems that a portion of the produced wastes in medical units called "special wastes" or "clinical wastes", have not been seriously taken into consideration especially in developing countries, This study examined the Waste Management assessment in educational hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 educational hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in autumn 2013. First, a questionnaire was designed and its validity was approved. Then, the required data including (production, segregation, storage, collection, treating, transportation, and Disposal) was gathered during visits to participating hospitals. Finally, the collected data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 16. . Results:Findings showed that the daily production of infectious and sharps wastes in the studied hospitals generally equaled 3387 kg. All hospitals were equipped with non-incineration systems; however, only 83.3% of them were active. Therefore, some infectious wastes were disposed of along with urban wastes without being sterilized. Conclusion: Overall, waste management in hospitals was relatively appropriate, but due to the importance of the issue, it needs to pay more attention in some cases.

Keywords

• Key Words: Waste Management
• Sharp Waste
• Infectious Waste
• Hospital