Development of Infectious Waste Management System for Hospitals according to the Ministerial Regulation on Infectious Waste Disposal B.E.2545 in Roi Et Province
Keywords:
Infectious waste management, Behavior, Infectious waste quantityAbstract
Purposes: To study the problem situation and needs, develop a system, and evaluate an infectious waste management system for hospitals in Roi Et Province, in compliance with the Ministerial Regulation on Infectious Waste Disposal B.E. 2545 (2002).
Study design: Action Research.
Materials and Methods: Key informants comprised 47 responsible personnel or stakeholders involved in infectious waste management from 20 hospitals in Roi Et Province, selected based on inclusion criteria. Additionally, 350 stakeholders involved in infectious waste management were purposively sampled. The study was conducted from December 2023 to September 2024. Data were collected using questionnaires with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient reliability of 0.84 and 0.83, respectively. Data analysis employed frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and % difference.
Main finding: 1) Pre-development Situation: Incorrect segregation of infectious waste at the source was prevalent, with behaviors of contaminating general waste observed. Additional management issues included storage exceeding one day, disposal into wastewater systems, and shortages of clearly labelled containers/warning signs. Partial lack of PPE among workers contributed to a high infectious waste volume of 936.82 tons in 2023, incurring disposal costs of 6,932,496.12 THB. 2) System Development: The hospital infectious waste management system comprised 8 steps: Management structure design, Source segregation, Collection, On-site transportation, Off-site transportation, Treatment and disposal, and Evaluation and knowledge exchange, and Post-development Evaluation: All 20 hospitals demonstrated improved overall compliance with the Ministerial Regulation, increasing by 7.41%. Relevant workers showed a 26.61% improvement in overall infectious waste management behaviors. The total infectious waste quantity decreased by 3.44%.
Conclusion and Recommendations: This research successfully promoted enhanced infectious waste management practices among the target group. Continuous monitoring and resource allocation for PPE and containers are recommended for sustained improvement.
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