Abstract

MAHLER, Claudio Fernando  and  MOURA, Leonardo de Lima. Healthcare waste (HCW): A qualitative approach. RISTI [online]. 2017, n.23, pp.46-60. ISSN 1646-9895.  https://doi.org/10.17013/risti.23.46-60.

Inadequate healthcare waste management (HCWM) leads to numerous health problems for the population, which occur worldwide, especially the least developed. Supported by qualitative research techniques, a hospital's performance on HCWM was assessed through interviews with key personnel in the command structure and operational personnel, as well as daily observation of activities. Several discrepancies were observed between discourses and practice. It was observed the lack of knowledge of these professionals in relation to several aspects related to the HCWM, which significantly impacts the implementation of a correct management. The results allowed to conclude that the HCWM has some deficiencies which considerably increases the potential risk of health services wastes to the environment and to public health

Keywords : healthcare waste management; qualitative research; maternity; interviews; assessment.

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