Project Materials

ASSESSMENT OF HEALTHCARE WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AMONG HEALTH WORKERS

Chapter one

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study.

Healthcare waste is contagious and poses a threat to public health. Because most healthcare facilities are located in the core of cities, healthcare waste that is not properly managed can create serious infections and constitute a hazard to the surrounding environment, health staff, patients, and the general public (WHO, 2014).

Dehghani, Azam, Changani, and Fard (2008) stated that Healthcare Waste (HCW), if not properly managed, can pose a major hazard to human health due to its infectious properties. Nigeria, a poor country, faces health concerns that compete for limited resources; it is not surprising that healthcare waste management receives less attention and priority than it deserves (Stephen & Elijah, 2011).

As a result, poor countries face a significant problem in managing healthcare waste due to a lack of institutional frameworks. Clinical wastes are disposed of openly in the dumpsite alongside municipal waste, and this practice allows members of the community access to them, potentially leading to an outbreak of infectious diseases (Alagoz, Kocasay, Abah, and Ohimain, 2010).

Cheng, Sung, Yang, Lo, Chung, and Li (2009) observed that, despite its tiny percentage to overall community trash, healthcare waste management is seen as a significant issue around the world.

According to the World Health Organisation (2014), 15% of total waste created in healthcare facilities is hazardous, and it must be effectively segregated at the time of generation to avoid the entire healthcare waste being completely hazardous.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are approximately 8 to 16 million new cases of Hepatitis B virus (HBV), 2.3 to 4.7 million cases of Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and 80,000 to 160,000 cases of human immune deficiency virus (HIV) each year as a result of unsafe injection disposal, which is primarily caused by very poor waste management.

The danger connected with healthcare waste (HCW) and its management has received a lot of attention from health practitioners and non-practitioners all over the world.

If healthcare facilities understand the types and quantities of clinical waste created, they may better plan and budget for hazardous waste management (Bongayi, 2013).

According to a study conducted by Olubukola (2009) in two Lagos general hospitals, there was no waste reduction plan in place due to a lack of quantification of healthcare waste.

This lack of planning for healthcare waste management finally results in insufficient waste segregation at the time of use, collection, storage, and final disposal. Poor healthcare waste management practices endanger health workers, patients, and the environment.

Identified shortcomings, such as a lack of colour-coded bags for segregating healthcare waste at the point of use and a lack of rules on segregation and disposal for health professionals, contribute to inadequate healthcare waste management in hospitals.

Mismanagement of healthcare waste by healthcare facilities endangers not just health staff and patients, but also visitors and the community where it is inappropriately disposed of, contaminating the soil, air, and water. Healthcare facilities are expected to preserve people’s health in their environment, not create potential health hazards for them.

Furthermore, as patient turnout has increased, so has the amount of healthcare waste. Mboguwe, Mimereki, and Magashula (2008) also stated that population growth leads to an increase in healthcare facilities, which leads to increased healthcare waste generation.

As a result of this rise, it is envisaged that effective healthcare waste management will receive more attention and priority in Abeokuta South Local Government (ASLG).

Management of healthcare waste continues to provide a number of issues, particularly since the country’s economic condition deteriorates on a daily basis; hence, healthcare waste management has become a worry.

There have been numerous research on healthcare waste management, but little or no work has been done on clinical waste segregation, which is an important part of healthcare waste management (Coker, Sangodoyin, Sridhar, Booth, Olomolaiye, 2009).

Waste segregation is critical in healthcare waste management since it is the first step in managing clinical waste. Segregation of healthcare waste helps to reduce the amount of hazardous waste. Once healthcare waste is segregated, it will be easier to collect, store, and dispose of infectious waste in a way that will not affect health workers, patients, or the environment (WHO, 2014).

Proper management of healthcare waste requires good organisation, adequate financing, and active participation of skilled workers. It was discovered that healthcare facilities did not spend resources on clinical waste management.

Healthcare facilities must devote resources for colour-coded bags and training of healthcare waste generators for efficient segregation and disposal in order to ensure their sustainability.

The purpose of this research is to evaluate healthcare waste management procedures at health facilities in the Abeokuta South Local Government.

1.2 Statement of Problem

The indiscriminate dumping of untreated hospital waste in municipal bins increases the likelihood of pathogenic microorganism survival and mutation, which can lead to disease epidemics and an increase in communicable disease incidence in the community.

Infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B, C, Measles, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, Tuberculosis, Chickenpox, Cholera, and others have been linked to improper hospital waste segregation and disposal (Sreejith, 2008).

In Ogun State, the researcher discovered that healthcare facilities neglected healthcare waste management in terms of segregation and disposal.

The established authority does not supply materials for the segregation and disposal of these hospital wastes, posing a major threat to health professionals, patients, the environment, and the community as a whole.

There have been recent reports of hospital-acquired infectious infections among health professionals, which have been linked to contamination from healthcare waste, resulting in the early death of some of these personnel.

The uncontrolled dumping of hospital waste alongside domestic rubbish allows community people easy access to it. A visit of these health care facilities reveals the absence of waste management equipment such as incinerators, autoclaves, and microwaves.

As a result, it is quite possible that healthcare waste is discarded in municipal sites, which could contribute to the spread of communicable diseases. Given the aforementioned issues, the researcher became interested in examining healthcare waste management procedures among health professionals in Abeokuta South Local Government of Ogun State.

The findings of this study will be used to improve healthcare waste management at health facilities within Abeokuta South Local Government. It will also give empirical data to policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders in order to build effective healthcare waste management policies in Abeokuta South Local Government and across the country.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The primary goal of this study is to evaluate healthcare waste management strategies among health personnel. The precise aims include:

i. Determine the various types of trash produced in healthcare facilities in Abeokuta South Local Government (ASLG);

ii. Determine health workers’ understanding of healthcare waste management and segregation.

iii. To evaluate healthcare waste management practices by health workers and

iv. Determine how ASLG healthcare facilities dispose of healthcare waste.

1.4 Research Questions.

i. What types of healthcare waste are generated at ASLG’s health facilities?

ii. What is the level of knowledge among health workers about healthcare waste management?

iii. What is the practice of healthcare waste management among healthcare workers?

iv. How do healthcare workers in ASLG dispose of their final waste?

1.5 Research Hypotheses.

Hypothesis I

H0: There is no significant relationship between respondents’ knowledge of Healthcare waste management and ASLG.

Hello: There is a substantial association between respondents’ knowledge of healthcare waste management and ASLG.

Hypothesis II.

H0: There is no significant link between respondents’ practices regarding healthcare waste management in ASLG.

Hello: There is a substantial association between respondents’ practices regarding healthcare waste management in ASLG.

1.6 Significance of the Study

Hospital waste management is part of hospital hygiene and infection control activities. While the healthcare facilities strive towards the aim of lowering health problems and removing potential human health concerns, they also create waste that may pose health hazards to patients, health workers and the community (Bongayi, 2013).

Mohee (2005) highlighted that healthcare wastes worldwide have rapidly increased in recent times due to rising population, numbers and sizes of healthcare facilities as well as the use of disposable healthcare products.

Poor management of clinical waste has direct influence on persons working in healthcare institutions, patients, the community and natural environment (Goddu, Duvvuri, & Bakki, 2007).