Waste management practices among dental surgery staff of major hospitals in Accra: a descriptive cross-sectional study

Introduction: the practice of dentistry in contemporary times produces considerable waste that could be harmful to individuals and the environment at large. In Ghana and many other jurisdictions, there are guidelines that outline how these wastes should be managed. This study was conducted to explore practices concerning dental waste management among dental surgery staff in some public facilities in Accra, Ghana. Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional study involving dental surgery staff of four major facilities in Accra was done. Overall, 124 staff from the selected facilities participated in the study, and 51 different dental surgeries were assessed. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and an observation checklist. The questionnaire included questions on socio-demographics, as well as knowledge and practices regarding dental waste management. Results: there was unsatisfactory knowledge of waste disposal, while practices did not generally meet international recommendations and the Ministry of Health´s (MOH) guidelines. Though all respondents stored their sharp waste in puncture-proof containers, 98.4% did not label their clinical waste, while 62.9% would dispose of used X-ray fixers by pouring them down the drain. None of the 51 surgeries observed had more than one colour code available. Conclusion: there is a palpable need for education, monitoring, and empowerment concerning waste management in Ghana´s oral healthcare system.

Lesotho COVID-19 emergency preparedness and response project (P173939) - Mafeteng hospital operations: environmental and social management plan (ESMP) operations phase

An outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been spreading rapidly across the world since December 2019, following the diagnosis of the initial cases in Wuhan, China. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic. As of January 6, 2021, the outbreak has resulted in more than 86 million global cases and more than 1.8 million global deaths.1 and 3206 cases in Lesotho with 65 deaths. In order to respond to this global pandemic, the Government of Lesotho (GoL) will implement a Lesotho COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Project (EPRP), with World Bank (WB) financial support. The Lesotho COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Project (EPRP), with US$ 7.5 million total budget, comprises of two main components, Emergency COVID-19 Response (US$6.675 million), and Project Implementation and Monitoring & Evaluation (US$0.825 million).

Interim guidelines for home-based isolation & care of confirmed COVID-19 cases

Homebased care for suspected or confirmed COVID -19 patients is the holistic and integrated care provided for asymptomatic and symptomatic confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the comfort of their homes. It encompasses biomedical, physical, psychosocial, palliative, and other aspects of care provided by patients, family members, community volunteers and /or healthcare workers under the supervision of a treatment centre with appropriate facilities for evaluation when necessary. As majority of patients are asymptomatic or mild and require minimal interventions for care, the home is an ideal place to manage such patients in a cost-effective manner with satisfactory outcomes. This allows the focus of institutional care to the management of moderate to severe cases. Patients who meet the criteria for home- based isolation and care after assessment of clinical risk, home risk, Infection Prevention and Control, adherence to guidelines, waste management and other factor are enrolled into a specific home- based care team attached to an isolation/treatment centre for supportive care. They are followed up to discharge after a minimum of 10 days after exposure, confirmation of test positivity, or onset of symptoms. The frequency of follow up is mainly based on the clinical risk assessment. Patients whose clinical risk or condition deteriorate are evacuated preferably to their supervising treatment centre. Specific roles of all stakeholders and personnel are clearly delineated with protocols and procedures for data management also well spelt out. Ultimately, it is envisaged that this revision of the home -based care guideline for management of asymptomatic and mild suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 would ensure efficient and effective management of covid-19 patients in their home with improved outcomes.

Health hazards related to Soba sewage treatment plant, Sudan

The aim of this study was to determine the health hazards acquired by the residents nearby Soba sewage treatment plant. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in Soba locality, Khartoum, Sudan. An interviewer-administrated questionnaire was assigned to 462 residents of the area living in four geographically distributed squares around the sewage plant. The data was analyzed in SPSS; Cronbach's alpha reliability scale of measurement was used to check the internal validity of six variables related to the quality of life. A logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between the health hazards and the quality of life. Among the 462 residents, difficulty in breathing (37.9%) and nausea (37.2) were the principal health hazards. Moreover, the residents had a satisfactory level of awareness (88.7%) about the health hazards. The utmost impact on the quality of life was psychological (97.2%). It was statistically correlated with the reported factors, which impacted the quality of life in the district as revealed by the Cronbach's alpha reliability test with absenteeism (P=0.026), disability (P=0.014), socialization (P=0.032) and death (P=0.016). A logistic regression analysis revealed chemical hazards had a statistically significant association (P<0.05) with quality of life of the residents of Soba district. The study strongly entails the fact that sewage treatment plants crave exceptional consideration from the concerned responsible authorities, together with the fact that the evolved health threats should be confronted with immense responsibility as soon as possible

Wastewater and Solid Waste Disposal Patterns of Dukem Town Households in Ethiopia

The objective of this descriptive; cross-sectional study was to assess wastewater and solid waste management by the households of Dukem; a town in Ethiopia. A total of 391 households were selected using stratified random sampling techniques. Face-to-face interviews were carried out with respondents by asking questions about wastewater and solid waste management in the households. A majority (75.1) of households used unsafe wastewater disposal methods. Approximately two thirds (67.7) of households had a temporary storage container in their compound in which to store solid waste. 53.3 of households used a safe solid waste disposal method. Only 4.9 of the households used waste as manure (compost) for home gardening. More than a quarter (28.1) of households practised burning waste on their premises. The availability of safe wastewater disposal facilities was significantly associated with private home ownership and family size (p-value 0.05). There was no significant association between the availability of safe solid waste disposal facilities and owning a private home or family size (p-value 0.05). Generally; there were inadequate domestic wastewater and solid waste disposal facilities in the studied households. Thus; there is a need for improved waste management in the households. Environmental health and health education programmes should be emphasised in order to improve practices of household waste management

Healthcare Waste Management in Clinics in a Rural Health District in KwaZulu-Natal

The handling of healthcare waste (HCW) was investigated in 30 rural healthcare facilities in KwaZulu-Natal. Using a semi-structured questionnaire; interviews were carried out with the person in charge of the facility and observations were made to establish current practices in sorting; handling and disposal of HCW. It was found that improper sorting and management of HCW occurred on most sites with implications for cost; infection control and education. It is imperative therefore that improved HCW management measures be implemented and that healthcare facility staff receive appropriate and repeated training to ensure minimising risk

Healthcare Waste Management in Clinics in a Rural Health District in Kwazulu-Natal

The handling of healthcare waste (HCW) was investigated in 30 rural healthcare facilities in KwaZulu-Natal. Using a semi-structured questionnaire; interviews were carried out with the person in charge of the facility and observations were made to establish current practices in sorting; handling and disposal of HCW. It was found that improper sorting and management of HCW occurred on most sites with implications for cost; infection control and education. It is imperative therefore that improved HCW management measures be implemented and that healthcare facility staff receive appropriate and repeated training to ensure minimising risk

Clinical Waste Management in the Context of the Kanye Community Home-Based Care Programme; Botswana

This study examines clinical waste disposal and handling in the context of a community home-based care (CHBC) programme in Kanye; southern Botswana . This qualitative study involved 10 focus group discussions with a total of 82 HIV/AIDS primary caregivers in Kanye; one-to-one interviews with the five nurses supervising the programme; and participant observation. Numerous aspects of clinical or healthcare waste management were found to be hazardous and challenging to the home-based caregivers in the Kanye CHBC programme; namely: lack of any clear policies for clinical waste management; unhygienic waste handling and disposal by home-based caregivers; including burning and burying the healthcare wastes; and the absence of pre-treatment methods; inadequate transportation facilities to ferry the waste to clinics and then to appropriate disposal sites; stigma and discrimination associated with the physical removal of clinical waste from homes or clinics; poor storage of the healthcare waste at clinics; lack of incinerators for burning clinical waste; and a high risk of contagion to individuals and the environment at all stages of managing the clinical waste

Gestion des dechets des activites en soins en odontologie (etude bibliographique)

En odontologie; les dechets des activites de soins sont de deux types : 1- Les dechets menagers ou assimilables ; 2- Les dechets medicaux ou de soins .En egard de l'importance de la production de ces dechets; les risques de contamination de l'homme et de l'environnement sont multiples. La gestion des dechets des activites de soins est donc capitale; elle doit respecter les cinq etapes fondamentales de tri; de conditionnement; de collecte; de stockage; de transport jusqu'au traitement lequel se fait soit par incineration soit par enfouissement