Medical laboratory waste generation rate, management practices and associated factors in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background Biomedical wastes (BMWs) generated from medical laboratories are hazardous and can endanger both humans and the environment. Highly infectious biomedical wastes are produced at an unacceptably high rate from health laboratories in developing countries with poor management systems, such as Ethiopia. The purpose of this study was to assess the rate of biomedical waste generation, management practices, and associated factors in public healthcare medical laboratories in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Materials and methods From July 13 to September 25, 2020, a health institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 6 hospital laboratories and 20 health centres laboratories in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and practice of biomedical waste management and generation rate were collected d in health facilities using pre tested data collection tools. SPSS version 20 was used to manage the data. To identify independent predictors of the dependent variable, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, linear, and logistic regression analysis were used. The strength of the association was determined using an odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval. Results In this study, the mean ± SD daily generation rate of biomedical wastes was 4.9 ± 3.13 kg/day per medical laboratory. Nineteen medical laboratories (74.3%) had proper biomedical waste management practice, which is significantly associated with professionals’ knowledge of biomedical waste management policies and guidelines, the availability of separate financial sources for biomedical waste management, and the level of training of professionals. Conclusion The study found that medical laboratories in Addis Ababa’s public healthcare facilities generate a significant amount of biomedical waste. Nearly two-thirds of hospitals performed proper waste segregation, collection, storage, and treatment procedures for biomedical waste generated in their laboratories. However, there was a poor transportation and disposal method. As a result, paying special attention and implementing the current national guidelines for biomedical waste management is recommended.

Serological Evidence and Associated Factors of Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatitis C Virus Among Waste Handlers: A Cross-Sectional Study from Northeastern Ethiopia

“…In many countries, healthcare waste management practice has not gained much attention from stakeholders in facilities 25 , 26 and a huge amount of waste material is generated in different divisions of the healthcare services. 16 , 26 , 27 Various factors are associated with biomedical waste management practice, such as educational level, training, access to bins in the working department, and attitude. 28 Healthcare waste is illegally dumped along roads or in the bush in some cases, openly burned, and buried in yards.…”

“… 15 Public health facilities in Ethiopia produce a sizable amount of biomedical waste, and if this is not managed appropriately, there may be a higher likelihood of such waste being a potential source of an infectious agent. 16 …”

“…15 Public health facilities in Ethiopia produce a sizable amount of biomedical waste, and if this is not managed appropriately, there may be a higher likelihood of such waste being a potential source of an infectious agent. 16 In two successive systematic reviews conducted in Ethiopia, the pooled prevalence of HCV was 3.1% 17 and 2%, 18 indicating that the disease may be on the decline. However, according to systematic review and meta-analysis reports from Ethiopia, the overall prevalence of HBV remains a significant health problem in various population categories.…”

Examining the influence of sample rejection rates on the carbon footprint of clinical laboratories: a retrospective analysis

“…Apart from the generation of infectious waste in healthcare and laboratories, medical waste can give rise to financial and sustainability issues. 15 In their evaluation of 20 centers, Endris et al 9 determined that laboratories generated an average of 4.9 kg/day of medical waste.…”