Analyzing the Interactions Among the Barriers for Safe and Effective Medical Waste Management

Because of the growing number of hospitals in the country like the United Arab Emirates, huge medical wastes are generated in the hospitals, and managing this medical waste is considered a big challenge. In recent days, COVID 19 pandemic has paved the way for the generation of relatively huge amounts of infectious and hazardous waste in healthcare hospitals, and proper disposal of this heterogeneous mixture of medical waste is the biggest challenge. Improper waste management developed in health care units causes a direct impact on the workers, waste handlers, patients, caregivers, and the community. Also, it is important to manage the medical waste properly so that the environment will not get affected. In order to overcome this problem, both the manufacturer and the medical practitioner should take utmost care in managing the medical waste properly in all stages, starting from collection to the final disposal. The main aim of this research is to understand the different types of medical waste in the hospital and identify the barriers that impede the effective management of medical waste. For analyzing the interactions among the barriers, Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) approach is proposed as a solution methodology in this research work. By analysing the interaction among the barriers using the ISM model, we may extract the most influencing barrier that challenges both hospital management and government in managing medical waste safely and effectively.

Automated summary

With the increase in hospitals, managing medical waste has become a significant challenge, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Improper waste management affects healthcare workers, patients, and the environment. To address this issue, comprehensive management strategies need to be developed.