Analysis of healthcare waste management in hospitals of Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Abstract

Healthcare waste (HCW) management is a challenge for establishments that generate this type of waste, especially hospitals, as they are one of the largest generators. A determining factor in waste management is the amount of waste generation, which must be used for management planning. This study aims to compile and evaluate information on the management of HCW generated in Belo Horizonte’s (located in Brazil) hospitals declared in their respective Healthcare Waste Management Plans (HCWMP) sent for approval by the municipality’s Superintendency of Urban Cleaning. Therefore, a comparative analysis of the hospitals’ generations in relation to their characteristics (nature, specialty, and size) was carried out, using the Kruskal–Wallis statistical test with post hoc in Nemenyi. For the study hospitals, a generation rate of 7.18 (6.17–8.23) kg·bed −1 ·day −1 was estimated, a generation rate close to that of developed countries. When comparing the generation according to the specialty of the hospitals, it was identified that the maternity hospitals (9.00 (7.05–10.90)) kg·bed −1 ·day −1 had a significantly higher generation rate than the low-complexity hospitals (4.75 (3.28–6.18)) kg·bed −1 ·day −1 . It was also possible to demonstrate that the specialty and size of hospitals influence the structure available for waste storage. Finally, it can be observed that there are few treatment alternatives, with incineration and autoclaving being the technologies most commonly used by hospitals. It is expected that the results presented can serve as a reference for waste managers, in a context where there is little shared information on the subject.

Assessment of healthcare waste management practices and associated factors in Addis Ababa City Administration Public Health Facilities

“…Incineration was the most common method of treatment for HCW in studied healthcare facilities in Addis Ababa. Similar studies in Belo Horizonte, Brazil showed 60% of HCW treatment technology goes directly to incineration [19]. There is no centralized incineration for all HCFs in Addis Ababa and surrounding regions to destroy pharmaceutical wastes.…”

Healthcare Waste Segregation Practice and Associated Factors among Healthcare Professionals Working in Public and Private Hospitals, Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia

“…This is comparable with studies conducted in Southeast Ethiopia (53.8%), Northwest Ethiopia (46.3%), and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (43.2%)[ 15 , 18 , 26 ]. This finding is unacceptably higher and might contribute to the generation of a huge volume of hazardous waste from hospitals that exceeds the WHO threshold [ 9 – 11 ]. These figures may differ between health facilities and countries for a variety of reasons.…”

“…According to a 2009 World Health Organization (WHO) study, around 20% of wastes is considered hazardous wastes. However, studies revealed that the percentages of these wastes generated from healthcare settings exceeded the WHO threshold that was due to poor waste segregation practices at the point of generation [9][10][11]. Tis poses a signifcant risk to humans and the environment, including injuries, infection transmission, pollution, fre hazards, and public nuisances [3,12].…”

Healthcare Waste Management: An Overview

“…They commented that this is not a suitable practice because other healthcare wastes apart from sharps are also harmful; likewise, the cartons used for segregating the sharps are made of cardboard paper that is susceptible to punctures and leaks. https://doi.org/10.53982/ajerd.2024.0701.02-j Raji et al Volume 7, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.53982/ajerd Segregation of wastes is important as seen in a study where all the infectious wastes are not segregated; thus, leading to the wastes receiving the same treatment, thereby increasing the overall cost of managing the waste [44]. Improper medical waste separation increases the exposure of healthcare workers and waste handlers to infections, injuries, and other occupational risks [45].…”