The health care industry today is a complex web of ever-changing relationships among patients, physicians, hospitals, insurers, employers, communities, and government. A combination of factors, including the emergence of intense, dynamic competition (and consolidation) and increasing expectations of demanding patients, has generated a challenging environment for hospitals. Today, spending on he...

Medical waste is a necessary by-product of any hospital environment; however, the majority of regulated medical waste is produced in the OR from the use of disposable surgical supplies (eg, drapes, gowns, basins, gloves, sponges). We conducted a concept comparison project in the ORs of two large medical centers in Bethesda, Maryland, and Washington, DC, to evaluate the effects of using reusable...

A survey was conducted to study the existing medical waste management (MWM) systems in Tanzanian hospitals during a nationwide health-care waste management-training programme conducted from 2003 to 2005. The aim of the programme was to enable health workers to establish MWM systems in their health facilities aimed at improving infection prevention and control and occupational health aspects. Du...

The objectives of this study were to identify the perceptions of nursing workers regarding the handling of hazardous chemical waste at the University of São Paulo University Hospital (HU-USP), and develop a proposal to improve safety measures. This study used a qualitative approach and a convenience sample consisting of eighteen nursing workers. Data collection was performed through focal group...

In many countries improper management of waste generated in health care facilities causes direct health harm to the community, to people working in health care facilities, and to the environment. In addition, pollution from inadequate treatment of waste can cause indirect health harm to the community. The disposal of certain types of devices should follow specific safety rules. For example, a s...

BACKGROUND Infectious waste management has always remained a neglected public health problem in the developing countries, resulting in high burden of environmental pollution affecting general masses. Health workers are the key personnel who are responsible for the management of infectious waste at any hospital, however, their proper training and education is must for an optimal performance. Thi...

Exposure to environmental pollutants may contribute to the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). We determined the ZIP codes containing or abutting each of the approximately 900 hazardous waste sites in New York and identified the major contaminants in each. Three categories of ZIP codes were then distinguished: those containing or abutting sites contaminated with persistent organic poll...

Background: The biomedical waste poses significant hazardous risk to the patients, healthcare workers, the community and environments. Thus the knowledge regarding biomedical waste management among health care personnel have greater impact on health and environment. This study aims to assess the awareness and practices regarding biomedical waste management among Health care workers in Tertiary ...

Hospital liquid infectious waste is one of the most important aspects of water contamination. The present investigation was undertaken to evolve a cost effective alternate method of waste water treatment by using Oxidized Water as a disinfectant for hospital effluents. Liquid infectious waste coming from diagnostic laboratories of hospitals (Urine, Blood and Mix of both) was treated with electr...