Proposal of indicators for healthcare waste management: Case of a Brazilian public institution

Abstract

Healthcare waste (HCW) management represents a big challenge for managers around the world. Segregation is a fundamental action to allow the risk management inherent to each type of wastes. HCW indicators may favour the understanding of the waste management system status. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the HCW indicators applied in a Brazilian public institution, seeking to improve the management system and suggesting methods of applying this tool as an alternative of continuous improvement to the management process. Wastes were weighed every trimester for seven consecutive days, between of 2012 to 2017. The data represent daily, monthly and quarterly averages of the waste generated. Group B (chemical) and Group E (sharps) indicators had statistical non-significant data, suggesting very distant results from the stipulated goal. The generation rate was 355.3–500.7 kg.day−1 including all types of waste. Considering the approximate values of the non-infected wastes, which may be discarded in a landfill, the percentage represents about 75% of all HCW generated. The other 25% need to be treated at cost of $US0.76kg−1. An effectively dangerous portion of the infectious waste would be approximately 6%. Failures in segregation could represent, in addition to the health risks, unnecessary expenses of the generating establishments. HCW indicators have good potential to provide adequate risk management in health service environments.