Hospital Workers' Awareness of Health and Environmental Impacts of Poor Clinical Waste Disposal in the Northwest Region of Cameroon

Mochungong, Peter Ikome Kuwoh; Guliš, Gabriel; Sodemann, Morten

doi:10.1179/oeh.2010.16.1.53

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 5 publications

(7 reference statements)

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“…Segregation of waste at source reduces the management and cost of treatment in addition to public health risks and environmental pollution. Overall, these findings reveal that 70% of study participants segregated waste which contradict the report of Mochungong et al (2010), in which segregation was observed in all hospitals studied in the Norhtwest region of Cameroon. The difference which could be due to the fact that our study involved more health facilities (30) than studied by Mochungong et al (2010).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 97%

“…Overall, these findings reveal that 70% of study participants segregated waste which contradict the report of Mochungong et al (2010), in which segregation was observed in all hospitals studied in the Norhtwest region of Cameroon. The difference which could be due to the fact that our study involved more health facilities (30) than studied by Mochungong et al (2010). Segregation was practiced mainly by staff of confessional facilities and was absent among staff of community health facilities.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 97%

“…Our level of awareness was higher than the 20.8% reported by Muluken et al (2013) and Mochungong et al (2010) reported similar findings in the Northwest region of Cameroon. Only 6.6% of health facilities had a copy of the guide and one facility had a waste management guide designed by its authorities.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Medical waste management and disposal practices of health facilities in Kumbo East and Kumbo West health districts

Dzekashu¹,

Akoachere²,

Mbacham³

2017

Int. J. Med. Med. Sci.

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The provision of healthcare generates waste which can be detrimental to health and the environment. Management of healthcare waste is still a challenge in developing countries as practices, capacities and policies on waste disposal are grossly inadequate and require intensification. With the growing trend of biomedical services in Kumbo Cameroon, the medical waste management practices in this area was investigated to generate data that could guide policy in planning for an effective and sustainable waste management program. A qualitative cross sectional study was conducted in 30 of the 52 health facilities in study area. Participating facilities were selected by convenience sampling and personnel by random sampling. Data was collected using questionnaires, interviews and direct field observations and results analyzed using SPSS V 17.0. P-values <0.05 were considered significant. Participants aware of the existence of a national policy guide on waste management were mostly administrators (66.7%). Only 2 (6.6%) health facilities had a copy of this document. None of the participating facilities kept records of their medical waste management practices. All participants were aware of the health risk of healthcare waste. Use of PPE varied among participants and was highest among employed waste handlers (EWH) (100%) and laboratory technicians (100%) while the lowest (69%) was among pharmacy attendants. Gloves were the most commonly used PPE. Most of the EWH (55.6%) used examination gloves which was inappropriate. Not all participants segregated or disinfected waste. Waste bins were not colour-coded and all facilities had appropriate safety boxes for sharps. In 86.7% of health facilities, waste disposal was by burning in pits located within 400 m away from the facility. These pits were not protected from scavengers. Only 4 facilities had incinerators and all did not meet the required standards, as none was equipped with a scrubber. Even after segregation at the point of generation, wastes were mixed at the point of final disposal. Waste management practices in study site did not meet standard practices. There is an urgent need for proper medical waste management in Kumbo East and Kumbo West to minimise threats to human health and the environment. Regular supervision and enforcement of policy on medical waste management is paramount.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 97%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 97%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Medical waste management and disposal practices of health facilities in Kumbo East and Kumbo West health districts

Dzekashu¹,

Akoachere²,

Mbacham³

2017

Int. J. Med. Med. Sci.

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show abstract

“…In this study, 31.2% of health professionals reported having heard of complaints or concerns and the most frequently reported concerns were difficulty of breathing during the burning of healthcare waste and the foul smell from decomposing tissues. Health professionals have also heard peoples' concern regarding access by children to the dump sites, where they scavenge for contaminated syringes and intravenous sets (Mochungong et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community Risk Perception on Healthcare Wastes in Hospitals and Health Centres of Eastern Ethiopia

Alemayehu¹

2015

SJPH

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Abstract:Background: Indiscriminate waste disposal by many healthcare facilities pose serious health hazard to the inhabitants in general and people living around health care facilities in particular. Human scavengers collecting second hand objects for reselling could be a channel for speading disease causing organisms. In addition, burning of wastes in small size incinerator at a low temperature releases many toxic gases causing health effects for people living around the facilities. The objective of the study was to assess risk perception of people living around health facilities about healthcare wastes. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted on 438 people in the eastern part of Ethiopia, from August to November 2013. Samples were taken by proportionate allocation to the size of people living within one km radius of 25 health facilities. Questionnaire was administered by a face-to-face interview. Risk perception was classified using a three-point Likert scale from low to high risk. Data were analyzed using STATA software. Bivariate and multi-variable analyses were carried out to determine correlates of risk perception. Result: The magnitude of risk perception for sharp, infectious/pathological wastes and expired drugs was 87%, 93.6%, and 73.1%, respectively. Individuals from urban areas have about 3 times higher odds of increased perceived risk than from rural areas (AOR = 3.02, 95% CI: 1.08-4.32, P = 0.006). On the other hand, people living around the hospitals have 2.5 times higher odds of increased perceived risk than those people living near to health centers (AOR = 2.45, 95% CI : 0.19 -3.04, P = 0.000). Conclusion and recommendation: People involved in this study have high perceived risk for hazardous (infectious and sharp) wastes which might be due to indiscriminate discharges of wastes by the nearby health facilities. It is therefore advisable to dispose wastes in a proper manner in order to minimize public concern.

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“…To give it context, biomedical waste is inadequately processed in Egyptian hospitals and primary healthcare settings due to the absence of written policies and protocols (Soliman and Ahmed 2007). Issues with poor management were P. Mochungong associated with lack of adequate training of healthcare workers in Botswana (Mbongwe et al 2008) and Cameroon (Mochungong et al 2010). In the south of Brazil, core disposal practices included co-disposal with municipal waste together with some autoclave treatment and incineration (Blenkharn 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Health Risks from Sub-Standard Medical Waste Incineration: A Site Conceptual Model

Mochungong

2014

Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal

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Poor medical waste treatment is common practice in most developing countries where on-site sub-standard incineration is common. Potentially hazardous substances such as polychlorinated dioxins and dibenzofurans and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been detected in gaseous emissions as well as bottom ash generated by the said process. There is also evidence on the emission of potentially toxic trace metals such as lead and cadmium as well as speculations on the release of brominated dioxins and dibenzofurans. The presence of residential areas within the vicinity of these sites increases human susceptibility to various health risks. This eventually necessitates the development of efficient risk assessment tools such as a site conceptual model that can adequately facilitate data collection activities and the estimation of health risks.

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Hospital Workers' Awareness of Health and Environmental Impacts of Poor Clinical Waste Disposal in the Northwest Region of Cameroon

Cited by 10 publications

References 5 publications

Medical waste management and disposal practices of health facilities in Kumbo East and Kumbo West health districts

Medical waste management and disposal practices of health facilities in Kumbo East and Kumbo West health districts

Community Risk Perception on Healthcare Wastes in Hospitals and Health Centres of Eastern Ethiopia

Assessing Health Risks from Sub-Standard Medical Waste Incineration: A Site Conceptual Model

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