hospital waste management Flashcards
(38 cards)
what is biomedical waste?
waste generated during :
-diagnosis
-treatment
-immunization of humans/animals
-research activities
what are the main classification of hospital waste
1- non hazardous
2- hazardous waste
3- potentially toxic
what are the divisions of non hazardous waste including examples?
1-biodegradable: food items
2- non-biodegradable: foil, plastic
what are the divisions of hazardous waste including examples?
1- laboratory waste
:cultures, samples, glassware
2- instruments used
:endoscope, syringe, needle
3- infected animals for research
4- pathological waste
:organs, placenta, limbs ,etc
5- contaminated swabs/dressings
what are the divisions of potentially toxic waste including examples?
1- radioactive
: could be gas, liquid, solid
2- chemical waste
3- pharmaceutical waste
:expired products
: contaminated products
: spilled products
:excess stock
what are the properties of chemical waste?
1- corrosive
2- inflammable
3- toxic
4- genotoxic: toxic to genes
how is biodegradable waste disposed?
1- using biodegradation technologies
2- composing the items, collecting them and putting into green containers, where they will be put into a bio culture pit
how is non-biodegradable waste disposed?
disposed in municipal bags
what are laboratory waste material including examples?
1- sample collection waste
: syringe, needle, cotton swab
2- biochemistry waste
: test tubes, glass bottles
3- hematology waste
: hemoglobin HB tubes
:lancet
:ESR[ erythrocytes sedimentation rate device]
5- bacteriology
: syringe and needle
what are the categories of person in risk of infection
1- patients
2- medical and paramedical staff
3- personal involved in waste disposal
4- person involved in cleaning the hospital
what are the health hazards associated with poor hospital waste management?
1- injuries and contamination by hospital items’
: causes HIV- needle infected with HIV
hepatitis virus: in blood, semen, body fluids
2- nosocomial infection
: infection originating from hospitals
3- infecting others outside hospital
what are the routes of transmission of infections from potentially infectious waste?
1 non-intact skin
2- mucosa membrane
3- ingestion
4- inhalation of dust particles containing germs
what are general precautions to take?
1- workers vaccinated against hepatitis B virus
2- wear heavy duty gloves
3- do not leave sharps on counter top
4- no recapping of needles
what are the primary steps to an effective healthcare waste management system?
1- evaluate scenario of the hospital
2-have job charts for waste management
3- discuss all cost associated with hospital waste management team
4-develope waste management policies
5- train the trainees and employers
6-evaluate technical procedures, cost and polices yearly
what are the steps in waste management?
1- waste survey
2- waste minimization
3- waste segregation
4-safe storage
5- waste handling and treatment
6- waste transportation
7-waste disposal
what is the purpose of waste survey?
1- to evaluate the types of waste
2- to evaluate the quantity of waste
describe waste segregation
1- occurs before transportation and handling
2- waste segregated into bags
3- each bag is labelled
4- each bag has necessary information as per recommended rules
what happens if infectious waste is mixed with non-infectious waste?
the whole waste is infectious due to contamination
what are the functions of segregation?
1- reduction in total treatment cost
2-recued impacts of waste on the community
3-reduces chances of infecting healthcare workers
describe waste handling
1-bags are lined with polythene bags
2-person involved should be trained
3- person involved should wear protective gear
what are the divisons of treatment?
1-disinfection
2- needles, syringes+sharps
3-liquid waste
what is used for disinfection including its percentage if present
dettol-5%
alcohol-70%
savlon
sodium hypochlorite-5%
formaldehyde gas
what is Dettol used to disinfect?
instruments
what is alcohol used to disinfect?
skin
