I. ABSTRACT
The main sources of medical waste are hospitals and other healthcare facilities (outpatient departments and offices, blood transfusion and autopsy facilities, etc.), as well as laboratories and research institutes with the increase of blood borne diseases, much attention is being focused on the issue of infectious medical waste and its removal. There are non-hazardous wastes and hazardous wastes which can be injurious to human and other organisms. Incineration, Autoclaving, Microwaving and Shredding are the common waste disposal method used by hospital and health care establishments. Lack of awareness, inadequate training in proper waste management, absence of waste management and disposal systems, insufficient financial and human
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As a result, in little more than 20 years, public concern over the waste management and the pollution problems associated with waste generation have attracted important attention and a great deal of research has been conducted to evaluate suitable waste treatment options, so as to reduce environmental pollution and maximize recovery of resources. Recently, concerns over the solid waste management from healthcare facilities (HCFs) like hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies and other supported healthcare services has increased around the world ( Hossain et. al., …show more content…
Medical wastes contribute a large portion of infectious wastes, which are potentially unsafe because they may be resistant to treatment and hold high ability to cause infection. Medical waste is also a source of contamination of land and water when treated in burning in incinerators. These emissions can cause respiratory diseases, if precautionary protocols are handled improperly. Over the years, the growing number of the medical institutions combined with an increase in the use of disposable medical products in the world has contributed to the large generated amount of medical waste. By itself, poor management of medical wastes causes to worsen environmental pollution and other harm to mankind that may lead to transmission of diseases like typhoid, cholera, and hepatitis through injuries from blood contained sharps (Babanyara et. al., 2012)
SOURCES of MEDICAL WASTES
The main sources of medical waste are hospitals and other healthcare facilities (outpatient departments and offices, blood transfusion and autopsy facilities, etc.), as well as laboratories and research institutes with the increase of blood borne diseases, much attention is being focused on the issue of infectious medical waste and its removal. Health care facilities must be aware of the potential risk in
One of the most common forms of errors found in the medical field is the recycling of soiled equipment. The repeated use of dirty medical equipment is found commonly in the poor regions of the world
Waste management is an especially challenging issue of today’s society especially considering the heavy metals and biomedical waste produced within the profession (Muhameddagic, Muhamedagic and Masic, 2009). Dental practices also create large quantities of waste cotton, latex, plastic, glass as well as various other materials which all have the potential to be contaminated with body fluids (Sudhakar & Chandrashekar,
Administrative Waste in U.S. Healthcare Regardless of technological advancement, life-saving skills and abilities and first-world resources, the outlandish cost of healthcare in the United States far surpasses any other country in the world. From price gouging, to double billing, to overbilling, to inefficient and expensive operations, the United States wastes $750 billion every year through our healthcare system. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), $200 billion of that astronomical number is due to nothing more than administrative waste.
This literature review will analyze and critically explore four studies that have been conducted on hand hygiene compliance rates by Healthcare workers (HCWs). Firstly, it will look at compliance rates for HCWs in the intensive care units (ICU) and then explore the different factors that contribute to low hand hygiene compliance. Hospital Acquired infections (HAI) or Nosocomial Infections appear worldwide, affecting both developed and poor countries. HAIs represent a major source of morbidity and mortality, especially for patients in the ICU (Hugonnet, Perneger, & Pittet, 2002). Hand hygiene can be defined as any method that destroys or removes microorganisms on hands (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). According to the World Health Organization (2002), a HAI can be defined as an infection occurring in a patient in a hospital or other health care facility in whom the infection was not present or incubating at the time of admission. The hands of HCWs transmit majority of the endemic infections. As
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines hand hygiene as, “a general term that applies to routine hand washing, antiseptic hand wash, antiseptic hand rub, or surgical hand antisepsis.” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2013) The idea of hand washing has been around for centuries. In the mid-1800’s Ignaz Semmelweis established that hospital-acquired diseases were transmitted via the hands of health care workers. After Semmelweis observed physicians and health care workers in the obstetric setting and studied mortality rates he recommended that hands be scrubbed in a chlorinated lime solution before coming in contact with every patient. Following the implementation of Semmelweis’s recommendation mortality rates associated with childbirth fell from seven percent to three percent. Although Semmelweis observation and recommendations were significant fellow physicians and colleagues did not adopt them. The 1980’s posed as a crucial time for health care in the sense of hand hygiene. This was when the first national hand hygiene guidelines were published in the 1980s. In 1995 and 1996, the CDC/Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) in the USA suggested that either antimicrobial soap or a waterless antiseptic agent be use...
The focus of health care is and has always been, practicing good hygiene, living a healthy lifestyle, and having a positive attitude reduces the chance of getting ill. Although there is not much prevention we can take for some of the diseases but we can certainly practice good hand hygiene to prevent infection and its ill effects. Research proves that hand washing is surely the most easy and effective way to prevent infection in health care. The question for this research: Is Hand washing an effective way to prevent infection in health care? It led to the conclusion that due to the high acuity, high patient: staff ratio, and lack of re evaluation certain units in the health care facilities cannot adhere to correct hand washing guidelines. Hand
The numbers of beds in hospital have been increasing so that more patients can be received and provide them quality care (Armbrister, 2012). Doctors, nurses and other health care workers are continuousally trained to provide an evidenced based care to the patients to minimize health care complications and improve the quality of patient care (Simington, 2011). An organization has been actively involving in innovation and use of new technologies based on research so that quality of patient care can be achieved without any medical errors in rural as well as urban settings. Doctors, nurses and other health care workers are always encouraged to use critical skills to expand the quality of care and improve patient satisfaction (Bannerhealthcare, 2015). In addition, banner health care has been working for the environmental cleanliness by initiating a think green program where community members are encouraged to save the water, minimize pollution and maintain their environmental health. Paper recycling, instrument reprocessing, pharmaceutical waste disposal and other recycling are the part of think green by banner health care which saves lot of money and maintains the environmental cleanliness and it has direct relationship with the health status of
Patient safety must be the first priority in the health care system, and it is widely accepta-ble that unnecessary harm to a patient must be controlled.Two million babies and mother die due to preventable medical errors annually worldwide due to pregnancy related complications and there is worldwide increase in nosocomial infections, which is almost equal to 5-10% of total admissions occurring in the hospitals. (WHO Patient Safety Research, 2009). Total 1.4 million patients are victims of hospital-acquired infection. (WHO Patient Safety Research, 2009). Unsafe infection practice leads to 1.3 million death word wide and loss of 26 millions of life while ad-verse drug events are increasing in health care and 10% of total admitted patients are facing ad-verse drug events. (WHO Patient Safety Re...
“Researchers in London estimate that if everyone routinely washed their hands, a million deaths a year could be prevented” (“Hygiene Fast Facts”, 2013, p. 1). Hands are the number one mode of transmission of pathogens. Hands are also vital in patient interaction, and therefore should be kept clean to protect the safety of patients and the person caring for the patient. Hand hygiene is imperative to professional nursing practice because it prevents the spread of pathogens, decreases chances of hospital-acquired infections, and promotes patient safety. There is a substantial amount of evidence that shows why hand hygiene is important in healthcare
Burning waste is not good at all for human health. It’s disturbing smell cause by burning plastic, rubber and some other artificial object can cause lot of trouble...
Hazardous waste and its proper disposal have become a major sociological problem today due to its capability of contaminating the area in which we live and its potential to be lethal to all living things. In order for the United States and the rest of the world to save itself from a potentially life threatening problem they must fix the causes which lead to the improper disposal of hazardous wastes and like materials. Some reasons that hazardous waste has become a problem in the United States today is due to the breakdown in enforcing laws for the proper disposal of such wastes, a lack of initiative on big companies behalf to spend money on proper disposal, and the ease of disposing of such wastes illegally.
Policy is needed to regulate which course of action should be taken and how it should be implemented. Because of this, many plans and policies revolving around the management of solid waste have been put in place. Sometimes however, a particular policy can have its shortfalls, potentially resulting in its negative aspects outweighing the positive ones. According to the Conference Board of Canada Report, “Canadians dispose of more municipal solid waste per capita than any other country” (2013). Solid waste management in particular, involves many aspects, ranging from packaging waste, food waste, etc. (White & Franke 1999), hence, the following analysis revolves around household and commercial waste – referred to as Municipal Solid Waste (White & Franke. 1999) – in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Municipal waste is a major health and environmental concern as it contributes to numerous problems like habitat destruction, surface groundwater pollution, and other forms of air, soil, and water contamination. Waste disposal methods like incineration create toxic substances, and landfills emit methane, which contributes to global warming. According to the Zero Waste Objective Report, “The impact of climate change and the increasing awareness of the role of “waste” and “wasting” in the production of greenhouse gas emissions is a constant environmental pressure… (2009). This leads to an increasing limitation of government to prevent and control the volume and toxicity of products in the waste stream and a growing need to shift responsibility to the product manufacturer.
Traditional methods of waste disposal have proven to be ineffective and have caused harmful effects on the environment. The most popular and inexpensive way to get rid of garbage is burial, but burying your problems does not necessarily mean getting rid of them. Landfill sites pose as severe ecological threats as these mass garbage dump yards overflow with trash and frequently contaminate our air, soil and water with hazardous wastes. About 400 million tons of hazardous wastes are generated each year1. A large-scale release of these materials can cause thousands of deaths and may poison the environment for many years. For example many industrial companies around the world cannot afford to enforce the strict pollution regulations set by many developed countries. This usually forces these types of companies to move to developing countries where pollution regulations are very lenient. These developing countries knowingly accept environmentally hazardous companies usually because they are in desperate need of employment. The harmful effects of these companies were clearly illustrated in the 1960s and 1970s when residents living near Minamata Bay, Japan, developed nervous disorders, tremors, and paralysis in a mysterious epidemic. The root was later found to be a local industry that had released mercury, a highly toxic element, into Minamata Bay. The disaster had claimed the lives of 400 people1. Since 1970 you can bet that a lot more than 400 people have died as a result of waste disposal. If the type of waste disposal were cheaper and effective we wouldn’t have to deal with waste problems, which still plague mankind today.
Retrieved: November 13, 2010, from: http://www.psr.org/chapters/oregon/assets/pdfs/hazards-of-medical-waste.pdf. Koerner, B., (2008). The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Can we turn garbage into energy? The pros and cons of plasma incineration.
The solid wastes are produce not only by households; it’s contributed by hospitals and corporations. Hospitals throw away bandages, use needles and latex gloves, these items hospitals throw away daily all the time because they can’t be reuse for the safety of its patients. Corporations throw away a lot of waste as well such as papers that they use whether in writing or in projects. All of these leftovers after consumptions are waste that is produced by our daily actions.