A Survey of Waste Management Status in Selected Hospitals in Isfahan

The development of various health care facilities has increased the production of medical wastes, which has contributed to environmental pollution and dramatic increase in waste management costs; therefore, the efficient management of hospital waste is of paramount importance. This study aimed to investigate the waste management status of selected hospitals in Isfahan.

This study was cross-sectional and descriptive. In this study, using the checklist provided by Environmental Protection Agency, the data of 14 university hospitals and 1 private hospital were collected. The validity and reliability of the checklist were assessed. Descriptive statistics such as mean and percentage of compliance with the standard were calculated.

The average medical waste generated was 379.28 kg / day for each hospital. Moreover, the lowest and highest rates of compliance with standard questions were observed in waste disposal unit (98%) and waste loading (100%), respectively. The studied hospitals performed well in terms of volume and type of waste produced and waste management process.

In large hospitals, at-source waste separation is more necessary. Implementing waste management guidelines, procedures, and policies is also crucial, and hospitals need to follow the move from theory to practice to reduce the amount of medical waste and reduce costs.