Surveying the Quantity, Quality, and Management of Hospital Wastes in Rafsanjan in 2020: A Descriptive Study

Background and Objectives: With the development of cities and increasing health-care needs, the production of medical waste has increased. Therfore, this study was conducted to determine the quantity, quality, and status of hospital waste management in hospitals affiliated to Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2020. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, hospitals affiliated to Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences (Ali-Ibn Abitalib, Moradi, and Niknafs) were examined. Data were collected by the researcher using a standard checklist of the Environmental and Occupational Health Center. Finally, the obtained data were described and analyzed using Excel software. Results: The mean health-care waste generation rate in Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences hospitals was 2.12 kg/patinet.day. From the total waste generated in University hospitals (1170 kg/day), 54.27% (635 kg/d) were general waste, 40.17% (470 kg/d) infection and sharp waste, and 5.56% (65 kg/d) chemical waste. Also, the average percentage of the score obtained from the maximum score in the field of proper waste management in different stages of separation, collection, storage, and decontamination and disposal in the studied hospitals were 66.36, 72.72, 62.03 and 57.57, respectively. Conclusion: Therefore, according to the intermediate status of hospital waste management in Rafsanjan, it is recommended to implement a safe and sustainable program in the field of hospital waste management from the point of production to disposal in an operational manner and monitor it continuously. Key words: Health-care waste, Hospital waste, Waste management, Rafsanjan Funding: This study was funded by Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran. Conflict of interest: None declared. Ethical approval: The Ethics Committee of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences approved the study (IR.RUMS.REC.1398.167). How to cite this article: Eslami H, Heydar Z, Mohammadtaghizadeh F. Surveying the Quantity, Quality, and Management of Hospital Wastes in Rafsanjan in 2020: A Descriptive Study. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2022; 20 (12): 1297-308. [Farsi]