Assessment of Medical Waste Management Practices in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital and Ahmadu Bello University Health Services, Zaria, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
Healthcare services are aimed at improving wellbeing and preventing potential human health risks and environmental hazards.
In the process, however, wastes that are potentially harmful are generated. Poor management of these healthcare wastes (HCW) exposes the health workers, patients, waste handlers and the general public to health risks.
Thus, this study focussed on the assessment of HCW management practices at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Zaria and Ahmadu Bello University Health Service (ABUHS) A.B.U. Zaria.
The study utilised two sets of questionnaires to capture HCW management practices including collection, segregation, storage, disposal and treatment.
One of the sets of questionnaires was administered to all the waste handlers while the second set of questionnaires was administered to all the heads of waste management units in each of the hospitals.
While the former was used for identifying the HCW management practices in the two hospitals, the latter was used for assessing the effectiveness of HCW management practices in the hospitals in accordance with Townend and Cheeseman (2005) guidelines.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………III
CERTIFICATION………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….IV
DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………V
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………………………………………………..VI
ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….VII
TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………………………………………………………..VIII
LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………XII
LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..XIII
LIST OF PLATES………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. XIV
CHAPTER ONE………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………1
INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………1
1.1: BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY…………………………………………………………………………..1
1.2: STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM………………………………………………………5
1.3: AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY …………………………………………………………….10
1.4: SCOPE OF THE STUDY………………………………………………………………………………………….10
1.5: SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY……………………………………………………………………………11
CHAPTER TWO…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….13
LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………………………………………………………………13
2.1: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………………………………13
2.2: WASTES………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..13
2.3 CLASSIFICATION OF WASTES…………………………………………………………………………….15
2.3.1 Type 0- Trash…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….17
2.3.2 Type 1- Rubbish…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………17
2.3.3 Type 2-Refuse……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………17
2.3.4 Type 3-Garbage…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………18
2.3.5 Type 4- Human and animal remains …………………………………………………………………………………………….18
2.3.6 Type 5- Liquid by-product waste………………………………………………………………………………………………….18
2.3.7 Type 6- Solid by-product waste……………………………………………………………………………………………………18
2.4 HEALTH CARE WASTES………………………………………………………………………………………18
2.5: NATURE AND SOURCES OF HCW………………………………………………………………………..19
2.6: CLASSIFICATION OF HEALTH CARE WASTES……………………………………………………23
2.9: HEALTH CARE WASTE MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT……………………………….29
2.10: MAJOR ISSUES IN HCW TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT…………………………….30
2.10.1 HCW Treatment…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….30
2.10.2 Incineration of Waste …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….31
2.10.3 Sharps ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….32
2.10.4 HCW Segregation…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..32
2.10.5 Management ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..33
2.11: GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING HEALTHCARE WASTE MANAGEMENT……………34
2.12: HCWM STUDIES OF TERTIARY HEALTH FACILITIES………………………………………43
CHAPTER THREE ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 51
STUDY AREA AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………………. 51
3.1: INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………………………………51
3.2: THE STUDY AREA ……………………………………………………………………………………………..51
3.3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY …………………………………………………………………………….54
3.3.1: Types of data required …………………………………………………………………………………………54
3.3.2: Sources of data……………………………………………………………………………………………………54
3.5 SAMPLE SIZE …………………………………………………………………………………………………….55
3.6 DATA ANALYSIS……………………………………………………………………………………………….56
CHAPTER FOUR………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 58
PRESENTATION OF RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ………………………………………………………… 58
4.1: INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………………………………58
4.2: THE NATURE OF WASTE IN THE HOSPITALS………………………………………………….58
4.3: QUANTITY OF HCW GENERATED AT THE HOSPITALSS …………………………………59
4.4: METHODS OF HCW COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL…………………………………………..64
4.5: MAPPING THE WASTE DUMPSITES OF THE TWO HOSPITALS ………………………..73
4.6: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HCW MANAGEMENT PRACTICES……………………………77
4.7: DISCUSSION OF RESULTS …………………………………………………………………………………88
CHAPTER FIVE………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 94
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS………………………………………………….. 94
5.1: SUMMARY………………………………………………………………………………………………………….94
5.2: MAJOR FINDINGS ………………………………………………………………………………………………95
5.3: CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………………………………..96
5.3: RECOMMENDATIONS………………………………………………………………………………………..98
REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….101
APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR WASTE HANDLERS …………………………………………..112
APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR HEADS OF WASTE MANAGEMENT UNITS ……..116
INTRODUCTION
Encarta (2007) defines waste as unwanted or unusable items, remains, by-products or household garbage.
Sinnot (1999) argues that waste arises mainly as by-products or unused reactants from the process, or as off-specification product produced through mis-operation.
There is a wide variation in volume and diversity of wastes from domestic, commercial, industrial and institutional land use types.
Institutional land uses such as hospitals lead to the production of potentially toxic, infectious and hazardous wastes as a result of the demand for health-care activities.
Despite problems arising from these unwanted wastes, a civilized society cannot do without a healthcare system because it is a basic requirement for humankind (Nemathaga, Maringa and Chinuka,2008).
Undoubtedly, medical establishments play important roles in different activities using modern technology to restore and maintain community health.
Medical establishments include hospitals, clinics, medical centres, home health care, blood banks, veterinary offices, clinical facilities, research laboratories, clinical laboratories, and all unlicensed and licensed medical facilities (Labib, Hussein, ElShall, Zakaria and Mohamed, 2005).
REFERENCES
Abah, S.O. and Ohimain, E.I. (2011). Healthcare waste management in Nigeria: A case
study of Ibadan Teaching Hospital. Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology,
3(3): 99-110.
Abah, S.O. and Ohimain, E.I. (2010). Assessment of Dumpsite Rehabilitation Potential
using the Integrated Risk Based Approach: A case study of Enugu, Nigeria. World
Appl. Sci. J., 8(4): 436-442.
Abdel-Salam, M.M. (2010). Hospital solid waste management in El- Beheira Governorate,
Egypt. Journal of Environmental Management, 91(3), 618-629.
Adegbite, M.A. Nwafor, S.O, Afon, A. Abegunde, A.A. and Bamise, C.T. (2010).
Assessment of dental waste management in a Nigerian tertiary hospital. Waste.
Manag. Res., 28, 769-777.
Ajadike, J.C. (2003). “Pollution and management problems of Medical waste in Nigeria. In
Adina, E. N. Bkop, O. B. and Aftah, V. I., (eds) Environmental Pollution and
Management in the tropics. Lagos: Snaap Press Ltd pp. 243 – 252.
Ajimotokan, H.A. and Aremu, S.A. (2009). Healthcare waste management. First annual
civil engineering conference university of Ilorin, Nigeria, 26-28.
Be the first to comment