Publication Details

AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS

SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH

environmental science

Profile of medical waste management in two healthcare facilities in Lagos, Nigeria: A case study

Waste Management and Research, Volume 31, No. 5, Year 2013

Proper management and safe disposal of medical waste (MW) is vital in the reduction of infection or illness through contact with discarded material and in the prevention of environmental contamination in hospital facilities. The management practices for MW in selected healthcare facilities in Lagos, Nigeria were assessed. The cross-sectional study involved the use of questionnaires, in-depth interviews, focused group discussions and participant observation strategies. It also involved the collection, segregation, identification and weighing of waste types from wards and units in the representative facilities in Lagos, Nigeria, for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the MW streams. The findings indicated that the selected Nigerian healthcare facilities were lacking in the adoption of sound MW management (MWM) practices. The average MW ranged from 0.01 kg/bed/day to 3.98 kg/bed/day. Moreover, about 30% of the domestic waste from the healthcare facilities consisted of MW due to inappropriate co-disposal practices. Multiple linear regression was applied to predict the volume of waste generated giving a correlation coefficient (R2) value of 0.99 confirming a good fit of the data. This study revealed that the current MWM practices and strategies in Lagos are weak, and suggests an urgent need for review to achieve vital reversals in the current trends. © The Author(s) 2013.
Statistics
Citations: 44
Authors: 4
Affiliations: 2
Identifiers
Research Areas
Health System And Policy
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Ethnographic Study
Case Study
Study Approach
Qualitative
Quantitative
Study Locations
Nigeria