There are currently no specific, published data quantifying the need for safe injection equipment or the amount of infectious sharps waste produced by testing and treatment programs for diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria. With growing funding in these areas there is an increased need to ensure all programs are integrating safe injection approaches and equipment in order t...

This was a cross-sectional study to explore the factors influencing practices about household sharp waste management among type 2 diabetics in Delhi, India. The study used selfadministered questionnaires to find socio-demographic characteristics, diabetes management characteristics, and knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards household sharp waste management. While there is a large amou...

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to collect data on self-reported sharps injuries to develop best practices to reduce them. Methods. Data on sharps injuries were collected for the period of January-October 2008 using Adverse Event Notification Forms already in use at Sema Hospital. Results. On average, 0.2% of all self-reported injuries were sharps injuries averaging one injury per mon...

BACKGROUND Glass bottles are used for the storage of local anaesthetics in the US and are recyclable. Recycling would result in hospital solid waste reduction. METHODS The members of the Department of Anaesthesia were surveyed to determine where these local anaesthetic bottles were disposed of. From November 2002 to April 2003, glass bottles used on the labour and delivery suite were saved fo...

Current hazardous waste disposal policies in the Home Health Care setting were evaluated as it related to the need for better regulation of hazardous materials entering residential waste streams. It was found that all waste materials from home care visits with the exception of “sharps,” were placed directly into residential waste streams. Therefore, large volumes of potentially hazardous waste ...

BACKGROUND Solid medical waste (SMW) in households is perceived to pose minimal risks to the public compared to SMW generated from healthcare facilities. While waste from healthcare facilities is subject to recommended safety measures to minimize risks to human health and the environment, similar waste in households is often untreated and co-mingled with household waste which ends up in landfil...

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a population of recyclable waste collectors (n = 431) was assessed using a cross-sectional survey in all 15 cooperatives in the city of Goiânia, Central-West Brazil. The HCV prevalence was 1.6% (95% confidence interval: 0.6-3.6) and a history of sexually transmitted infections was independently associated with this infection. HCV RNA (corresponding t...

Biomedical waste is currently a real health and environmental concern. In this regard, a study was conducted in 5 hospitals in Dakar to review their management of biomedical waste and to formulate recommendations. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from 1 April to 31 July 2010 in five major hospitals of Dakar. A questionnaire administered to hospital managers, heads of depart...

BACKGROUND Medical establishment such as hospitals and research institutes generate sizable amount of hazardous waste. Health care workers, patients are at risk of acquiring infection from sharps and contamination of environment with multiple drug resistant microorganisms if wastes are not properly managed. OBJECTIVES To characterize types and evaluate waste disposal techniques employed in th...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the current practices of segregation approaches, storage arrangements, collection and disposal systems in the teaching hospitals of Karachi. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was conducted in eight teaching hospitals of Karachi, using convenient sampling technique. The instrument of research was a self administered questionnaire, with four sections, relating to the genera...