A data-driven approach to improving hospital waste management

Cakmak Barsbay M.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT, cilt.14, sa.4, ss.1410-1421, 2021 (ESCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 14 Sayı: 4
  • Basım Tarihi: 2021
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/20479700.2020.1762057
  • Dergi Adı: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1410-1421
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Economics of waste, cost analysis, public hospitals, medical waste management, regression analysis, ENVIRONMENTAL KUZNETS CURVE, MEDICAL WASTES, GENERATION RATES, INFECTIOUS WASTE, COST, ALTERNATIVES
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

This study aims to clarify the factors influencing the financial burden of medical waste management (MWM) on public hospitals, and develop a best-reduced model for predicting MWM cost for hospitals. The medical waste generation rate was computed considering the hospital type and its location. MWM cost in selected hospitals was calculated using the variable pricing method. The mean medical waste generation rate was 0.70 kg per bed per day and 11 kg per surgical procedure. On average, with a daily 420 kg medical waste generated, urban hospitals were the major sources of medical waste. MWM cost in urban hospitals was much greater than that in rural hospitals. The results present an evaluation of how well MWM cost can be predicted by the number of surgical procedures, outpatients and distance of the hospital from the city centre. This study highlights the fact that cost-saving strategies at hospital organizational level are essential for reducing the enhanced MWM cost in hospitals.