Report: The assessment of hospital waste management: a case study in Tehran

Abstract

Hospital waste management is an important process that must be dealt with diligently. The management of hazardous waste material requires specific knowledge and regulations and it must be carried out by specialists in the field. In this cross-sectional study, we assessed the main stages of hospital waste management including separation, containment, removal and disposal of waste materials in public hospitals affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). We selected 108 units of six hospitals (three general hospitals and three subspecialty hospitals) from those hospitals supervised by TUMS using the cluster sampling method. The measurement was conducted through a questionnaire and direct observation by researchers. Association analysis was done by statistical tests; Fisher exact test and chi-squared using SPSS software. According to the results obtained by the questionnaire, most of the studied wards scored moderately in terms of quality of their performance in all stages of waste management. About one-fifth of the wards were suffering from poor management of their medical waste and only a minority of wards obtained good scores for managing their waste materials. The findings also revealed significant associations between temporary waste storage and collection and the level of education of the managers (P = 0.040, P = 0.050, respectively). In summary, the study indicated a moderate management in all processes of separation, collection, containment, removal and disposal of waste materials in hospitals with several observed problems in the process.

Management of Hospital Waste: A Case Study in Tehran, Iran

“…According to these reports, efficient waste removal is not accomplished in 64% of hospitals in 26 different countries (14). Arab et al (2008), Sabour et al (2007), and Bayat (47.7%; reported consistent findings (24,32,33). Overall, waste removal is among major problems in different hospitals of Iran.…”

Clinical laboratory waste management in Shiraz, Iran

“…A study of hospital waste management in Tehran indicated a significant association between the educational level of the hospital manager and the performance of their wards in terms of waste collection and temporary waste storage (Arab et al, 2008). In contrast, no significant relationship was found between education of the personnel or manager and the score of clinical laboratories in terms of waste collection and disposal.…”

Assessment of waste management status in educational hospitals affiliated with Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences

“…As we have already mentioned, poor waste management in hospital and other health care facilities can lead to adverse environmental and human health impacts. As a result, in addition to their duties and responsibilities to provide health care services, attention should be paid in these settings to environmental issues and waste management (Arab et al, 2008). Therefore, collection, treatment, and disposal of hospital wastes are important tasks in hospitals for such important reasons as ensuring that the services which are provided are hygienic, preventing nosocomial infection risks, protecting the staff in these centers, and preventing environmental hazards.…”