Application of information visualization design in the popularization of the knowledge of medical waste

With the continuous improvement of living standards, people pay more attention to the knowledge of medical health than before. The knowledge also brings the popularity and development of medical information. However, in the information age of today, tedious and redundant information floods people's lives make it impossible for people to quickly understand and grasp the content they need. Especially after the outbreak of the COVID-19, apart from the epidemic, the large amount of generated medical waste has become an issue of concern, but the current publicity of related knowledge is difficult to resonate with people. After collecting and reconstructing the knowledge about medical waste, a visual information hierarchy design is established to reflect the hierarchical relationships between different medical waste information intuitively and clearly through such a visual presentation. Thus, people better understand and learn them. At the same time, it helps people to put into action together for the disposal of medical waste and provide solutions for the visualization design of rapid and professional sorting and treatment of the increasing amount of medical waste. © 2023 Author(s).

A fuzzy sustainable model for COVID-19 medical waste supply chain network

The COVID-19 has placed pandemic modeling at the forefront of the whole world's public policymaking. Nonetheless, forecasting and modeling the COVID-19 medical waste with a detoxification center of the COVID-19 medical wastes remains a challenge. This work presents a Fuzzy Inference System to forecast the COVID-19 medical wastes. Then, people are divided into five categories are divided according to the symptoms of the disease into healthy people, suspicious, suspected of mild COVID-19, and suspicious of intense COVID-19. In this regard, a new fuzzy sustainable model for COVID-19 medical waste supply chain network for location and allocation decisions considering waste management is developed for the first time. The main purpose of this paper is to minimize supply chain costs, the environmental impact of medical waste, and to establish detoxification centers and control the social responsibility centers in the COVID-19 outbreak. To show the performance of the suggested model, sensitivity analysis is performed on important parameters. A real case study in Iran/Tehran is suggested to validate the proposed model. Classifying people into different groups, considering sustainability in COVID 19 medical waste supply chain network and examining new artificial intelligence methods based on TS and GOA algorithms are among the contributions of this paper. Results show that the decision-makers should use an FIS to forecast COVID-19 medical waste and employ a detoxification center of the COVID-19 medical wastes to reduce outbreaks of this pandemic. © 2023, Crown.

The single-use plastic pandemic in the covid-19 era

Single-use plastic (SUP) products are designed to be used only once or for a short time before being discarded. This research focused on personal protective equipment (PPE) made of SUP-based products (face masks, gloves, etc.) and SUP packaging during the COVID-19 era. One of the most obvious effects of the pandemic has been the increase in the use of PPE not only by healthcare professionals but also by the general public. As part of the fight against the pandemic, quarantines were started in many countries;people had to work from home, and shops were closed. Online shopping became more common. The increase in e-commerce also increased the use of SUP packaging. Here, we present an estimation of the number of daily single-use face masks and the amount of medical waste, considering the current COVID-19 cases and population. As a result of our calculations, we show that while the daily amount of medical waste is greatest in the European region, the number of single-use face masks used each day is highest in Asia. These results are associated with the number of COVID-19 cases and population data in the regions. Medical waste and number of patients were directly proportional, as were population and face mask waste. We are faced with plastic pollution that is becoming more difficult to control each day. In the current circumstances, within the scope of combating the possible plastic pandemic, we should prevent the shift of beneficial plastic from a preservative to a pollutant by prioritizing individual, societal, and institutional reforms to minimize plastic pollution. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reflections on COVID-19 pandemic and waste management in developing countries: A case study in São Paulo city, Brazil.

COVID-19 pandemic has changed several aspects in human behaviour, whereas population mobility patterns have been strongly affected by social distancing. In parallel, changes in solid waste generation patterns have been reported worldwide. This work assessed the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on waste generation and collection in São Paulo city, Brazil, the largest city of Latin America. Data on nine types of wastes collected between 2013 and 2021 were obtained, and the quantities of wastes collected before and during the pandemic were compared. These data were also discussed in light of data on COVID-19 cases and rates of social distancing and mobility. An increase in the amount of recyclables collected during the first wave of COVID-19 (March to September 2020) was observed. Decreases in the quantities of construction, demolition and bulky wastes (first wave of COVID-19) and farmers market wastes (second wave - October 2020 to February 2021) were also evidenced. The quantities of medical wastes collected during the pandemic significantly increased. The amount of residential wastes was lower than the mean for the pre-pandemic period during the first months of COVID-19. Thus, changes in lifestyle and consumption patterns of the population of São Paulo city seem to have affected solid waste generation during the pandemic, which reinforces the need of implementing solid waste management policies based on a diagnostic that characterise and consider these changes.

A review of the applicability of Environmental Management Systems in waste management in the medical sector of Zimbabwe.

Environmental Management Systems (EMS) are currently the cornerstone of achieving sustainability globally. Nevertheless, the question is applicability of EMS in the medical sector. Hence, the review focused on applicability of EMS in medical waste management Zimbabwe. EMS involves overall processes that facilitate reduction of dire impacts of company's activities while increasing performance. EMS framework consists of environmental policy, planning, implementation, checking, review and improvement stages. To examine applicability of EMS in management of medical sector waste, published secondary sources with information related to the topic were utilised. Analysis of strengths and opportunities of EMS was used as a base to examine its applicability in medical waste management. Zimbabwean medical sector consist of hospitals and primary healthcare facilities. Medical waste includes pathological, pharmaceutical, cytotoxic, radioactive, chemical, sharp, infectious and general waste. However, twenty-first century witnessed expansion of medical institutions to accommodate COVID-19 patients, resulting in generation of construction and demotion waste. Medical institutions in Zimbabwe are accountable for solid waste management at generation source although municipalities are responsible for conveying solid waste to landfills. Solid waste from medical sector is disposed through traditional strategies namely landfilling, incineration, open pits and open burning, resulting in water, air, and soil contamination. However, EMS can reduce quantity of solid waste disposed through waste reuse, recycle and recovery. Moreover, achievement of integrated approach, effective legislation, policies and inclusive participation in medical waste management is adopted through use of EMS. Therefore, EMS were utilised to develop an integrated sustainable medical waste management model to achieve sustainability.

Medical waste management during COVID-19 situation in India: Perspective towards safe environment

The situation in the world of pandemics is rapidly changing, and the COVID-19 has put a lot of pressure on the government and private sector, who are primarily responsible for controlling the situation. COVID-19 positive cases have increased in 2021 relative to 2020, and the number of patients admitted to hospitals has also increased, despite the fact that few of them were denied admission due to shortage of beds. Normal people who experience any symptoms immediately isolate themselves and begin taking the COVID medications prescribed by medical personnel and their team. During these times, all domestic people tossed the wrappers and boxes of medicines into the regular trash can, and the waste was handed over to the waste collector, who treated it like any other domestic waste and disposed of it using open dumping or other methods. The objective of this perspective is to suggest the collection of these types of waste from domestics, and protect the natural resources like water, soil, and even living beings including animals from pollution (from the effect of SARS-CoV-2). One of the developing nation's hospitals (Indian hospitals) generates 136.89 tons of BMWs every day. During a pandemic, a considerable amount of medical waste is generated from households. The main challenge for environmental waste management agencies is determining who is affected by COVID or viruses and which houses generate these types of waste;thus, the proposed strategy of collecting medical waste separately would be beneficial to the long-term sustainability of natural resources and animals.

Healthcare waste characteristics and management in regional hospital and private clinic

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Good health and a safe environment are essential for sustainable development, including the appropriate management of healthcare wastes. The study intends to assess the generation rate and management methods of healthcare waste in the regional hospital center and a private clinic in Tangier, Morocco, with a focus on potential risks to health workers from infectious diseases. METHODS: The study collected data on healthcare waste generation over a period of two months by measuring and analyzing general and hazardous waste using an electronic scale. The data was presented as averages in kilograms per bed per day and as percentages. A questionnaire was provided to 100 healthcare workers. It included questions on their sociodemographic characteristics and their knowledge and attitudes regarding healthcare waste management. FINDINGS: The case study revealed that the healthcare waste production in the two institutions varied, with the private clinic producing 0.76 kilograms per day per bed and the regional hospital center producing 1.84 kilograms per day per bed. The survey also discovered that the hazardous fraction of waste generated in the regional hospital center was 40 percent, which was much higher than the World Health Organization's estimation. The daily amount of hazardous waste generated increased from 260.49 kilograms to 436.81 kilograms postCOVID-19. The survey found gaps in knowledge, attitudes, and daily challenges in waste management practices among the health workers in both facilities. CONCLUSION: The survey findings suggest that the healthcare waste management methods in Tangier are unsafe and may endanger the health workers and patients. The study found that the lack of monitoring and control contributed significantly to noncompliance with good practices. These findings can be used by the regional divisions of the Ministry of Health to develop specific protocols for managing sanitary emergencies and perform routine observation and training at all levels in the two facilities studied © This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Assessing Ecological and Socio-Economic Attributes in Sustainable Management of Solid Medical Waste in Urban Environment

Unreliable system of solid waste management has hindered performance of public health system in developing countries. This condition was exacerbated by the covid-19 pandemic which posed risk to healthcare staff and public that makes the management of medical waste worsening. This study seeks to analyze the existing conditions of community health centre solid medical waste management from ecological, economic and social aspects in Pekanbaru and to design a solid medical waste management model for community health centres in Pekanbaru by identifying and quantifying ecological and socio-economic attributes to help solid medical monitor waste. A mixed method approach is used in this study with inferential analysis. Data analysis was used to analyze the relationship of ecological, economic and social factors to the management of solid medical waste at community health centres in Pekanbaru. The analysis process included univariate and bivariate analysis using a computerized program. The findings show that monitoring through the waste monitoring application can help monitor waste management in community health centres. As an implication, a solid medical waste management model can be used and implemented to support sustainable solid medical waste management. © 2023 WITPress. All rights reserved.

Conversion of medical waste into value-added products using a novel integrated system with tail gas treatment: Process design, optimization, and thermodynamic analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated substantial medical waste (MW), posing risks to society. Based on widespread MW incineration, this study proposes an integrated system with tail gas treatment to convert MW into value-added products with nearly zero emissions. Herein, steam generators and supercritical CO2 cycles were used to recover energy from MW to produce high-temperature/pressure steam and electricity. A simple power generation cycle achieved a net electricity efficiency of 22.4% through optimization. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that the most energy and exergy loss occurred in incineration. Furthermore, a pressurized reactive distillation column purified the resultant tail gas. The effects of inlet temperature, pressure, liquid/gas ratio, and recycle ratio on the removal and conversion efficiencies of NO2 and SO2 were evaluated. Nearly 100% of the SO2 and 75% of the NO2 generated by the incineration of MW have been converted into their acid forms. Based on the proposed tail gas treatment unit, high-purity CO2 (∼98% purity) was finally obtained.

Experimental analysis of the recovery and chemical properties of pyrolytic oil derived from medical waste with varying components combined via a systematic combination approach

Pyrolysis of medical waste components combined via a novel systematic combination approach (sequentially binary, ternary, and quaternary copyrolysis) was conducted at 400°C to investigate the synergy between medical waste components in improving chemical characteristics and yields of pyrolytic oil. Pyrolysis of hydrocarbon-polymer-containing materials such as medical gloves and rubber bands produced more than 30% of liquid products with substantial compositions of saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon polymers. On the other hand, moisture- and carbonyl-rich pyrolytic liquid products with low selectivity were obtained from pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass waste such as HVS paper (houtvrij schrijfpapier, meaning "writing paper made from wood pulp”) and garden waste. Binary copyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass and medical gloves exhibited improvement on pyrolytic liquid yield and selectivity toward saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon polymers due to hydrogen donor as the medical glove fraction became dominant. The addition of rubber band to the mixture of HVS paper and medical face masks enhanced the pyrolytic liquid yield. The pyrolysis of the mixture of HVS paper, medical face masks, medical gloves, and either rubber bands or cotton fabrics with mixture ratio of 60:20:10:10 yielded the most optimum pyrolytic liquid yield with significant distribution of alkanes in the pyrolytic liquid products. © 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Co-pyrolysis of medical protective clothing and oil palm wastes for biofuel: Experimental, techno-economic, and environmental analyses.

The ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19 has devastatingly influenced the environment, society, and economy around the world. Numerous medical resources are used to inhibit the infectious transmission of the virus, resulting in massive medical waste. This study proposes a sustainable and environment-friendly method to convert hazardous medical waste into valuable fuel products through pyrolysis. Medical protective clothing (MPC), a typical medical waste from COVID-19, was utilized for co-pyrolysis with oil palm wastes (OPWs). The utilization of MPC improved the bio-oil properties in OPWs pyrolysis. The addition of catalysts further ameliorated the bio-oil quality. HZSM-5 was more effective in producing hydrocarbons in bio-oil, and the relevant reaction pathway was proposed. Meanwhile, a project was simulated to co-produce bio-oil and electricity from the co-pyrolysis of OPWs and MPC from application perspectives. The techno-economic analysis indicated that the project was economically feasible, and the payback period was 6.30-8.75 years. Moreover, it was also environmentally benign as its global warming potential varied from -211.13 to -90.76 kg CO2-eq/t. Therefore, converting MPC and OPWs into biofuel and electricity through co-pyrolysis is a green, economic, and sustainable method that can decrease waste, produce valuable fuel products, and achieve remarkable economic and environmental benefits.

A Comparative Analysis of Hazardous Medical Waste Management Compliance Before (2019) and During (2020) the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

Background. As a producer of hazardous waste, hospitals have the responsibility to manage the waste they produce. Hospital non-compliance in managing hazardous waste can have a negative impact on the environment and public health, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the amount of hazardous waste produced by healthcare facilities is increasing. To protect the environment and public health from the negative impact of hazardous medical waste, this study was conducted to determine the level of compliance of hazardous waste management in hospitals in Indonesia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2019 to 2020. Study design. Cross-sectional. Methods. This study was conducted at 343 hospitals in Indonesia using secondary data obtained from Sikelim (Medical Waste Management Information System), which is owned and operated by the Ministry of Health. The data have been analyzed using chi-square tests and logistic regressions of the determinant model. Results. There was an increase in the level of compliance of hazardous waste management in hospitals from 82% to 86% during the pandemic. Furthermore, the availability of environmental documents and environmental health units were determinant factors of hazardous waste management compliance by hospitals before the pandemic in 2019. The only factor in 2020 was the availability of environmental health units. Conclusions. Despite the good level of compliance, additional efforts are needed to increase the activities of the treatment of hazardous medical waste by hospitals, as before the pandemic (i.e., in a normal situation) only 8% of hospitals was able to independently manage hazardous medical waste using authorized incinerators, a percentage that was reduced to 6% during the pandemic. © Società Editrice Universo (SEU), Roma, Italy

Novel Dose of Natrium Chloride and Soil Concentration in Reducing Medical Waste Bacteria before Incineration

If it is not adequately managed, the waste from healthcare facilities containing infectious material poses a risk to the general public and the natural environment. As a result, hospitals must ensure that their waste management policies do not add to the dangers posed to both human health and the environment. In this study, we aimed to determine the effect that varying doses of disinfectant in conjunction with andosol soil had on the total number of bacteria present in the medical waste generated by three hospitals in Semarang City, Indonesia. According to the findings of the study, the most efficient method for decreasing the overall number of microbial colonies by 93% was a combination involving soil (at a percentage of 30) and chlorine (at a concentration of 0.75 ppm). As a consequence of this, and due to the limited technology available, this straightforward method can become an alternative for the healthcare industry in managing medical waste before dumping or incinerating it. Hospitals have been advised to discontinue the practice of directly burning, disinfecting, or transporting waste to disposal locations before it receives treatment. This can help reduce the risk of pandemics, as the correct disposal of medical waste can control infection sources.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Use, Reuse and Disposal of Face Masks during COVID-19 Pandemic amongst University Students of Karachi

Objective: This study is intended to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice towards use, reuse and disposal of face masks amongst university students of Karachi. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in a period of 1 month on the students of Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Bahria University of Medical and Dental College, Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College, Iqra University, SZABIST, Bahria University, and Karachi University. Non-probability convenience sampling was used to conduct an online questionnaire survey assessing personal information, knowledge and attitude toward face mask disposal. Results: A total of 386 valid questionnaires were included in the study. 87.3 % of participants wear face masks regularly. Only 24.4 % of students had adequate knowledge about face masks disposal. The majority of participants discarded the face masks in general trash bins, which is very alarming for public health. 39.1 % showed a positive attitude towards cooperating always with relevant authorities on face masks disposal. 69.2 % were very concerned about hazards associated with improper face masks disposal. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the necessity of policies and strict implementation should be introduced by relevant authorities to ensure the proper use and disposal of face masks in order to narrow the gap the university students have towards the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding use, reuse and disposal of face masks. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Annals of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital & Karachi Medical & Dental College is the property of Knowledge Bylanes and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Current State, Development and Future Directions of Medical Waste Valorization

Elevated medical waste has urged the improvement of sustainable medical waste treatments. A bibliometric analysis is initially conducted to investigate scientific development of medical waste management to pinpoint the publication trends, influential articles, journals and countries and study hotspots. Publications on medical waste and its management sharply increased since 2020. The most influential article was written by Klemeš et al., and "Waste Management and Research” is the most productive journal. India, China, the United Kingdom, Iran and Italy have published the most works. The research spotlights have switched from "human” and "sustainable development” in 2019 to "COVID-19” and "circular economy” in 2021. Since government acts essentially in handling medical waste and controlling disease transmission, rule implementations among the abovementioned countries are summarized to seek gaps between scientific advancement and regulatory frameworks. For accomplishing a circular economy, waste-to-energy technologies (incineration, gasification, pyrolysis, plasma-based treatments, carbonization, hydrogenation, liquefaction, biomethanation, fermentation and esterification) are comprehensively reviewed. Incineration, gasification, pyrolysis and carbonization are relatively feasible methods, their characteristics and limitations are further compared. By holistically reviewing current status of medical waste research, the focal points involved in management at the policy and technical level have been highlighted to find proper routes for medical waste valorization. © 2023 by the authors.

Medical waste generation during COVID-19 pandemic in selected member countries of Arabian Gulf region, Google trend analysis

The variant SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has affected the entire globe;it has caused acute respiratory illnesses and has led to massive environmental problems associated with extra medical waste and single-use plastics. Herein the total quantity of waste generated in the selected GCC countries from different sources has been calculated. The popularity of the medical waste issue through using relative search volume was investigated to associate it with the quantities of Waste. Data was collected from the first COVID-19 case in the respective country until March 26, 2022, from the public domains, "Worldmeter”, "Our World in Data” and "Google Trends”. Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) was used to predict the amount of CMW. The calculated values are 1107.980 kg/day from the facemask used by the public, 2,554,812 kg from vaccination, 2,595,772 kg from PCR tests, also the predicted daily total amount of COVID-19 related Medical Waste (CMW) by the end of 2022 (December 31, 2022) to be 3667.25 kg/day. The trend in the generation of CMW has been identified in selected countries. Generally, the waste is expected to get minimized, but it is a lesson for future planning. Especially With extensive vaccination, the cases are drastically decreased, and life is resuming in the regions. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of the University of Bahrain.

Integrated Environmental Assessment of Medical Waste Management in the Kingdom of Bahrain

As a global concern, medical waste (MW) links public health, environmental pollution, and resource sustainability. This study aims to assess the two issues related to medical waste in Bahrain: the increasing generation rate of MW and its management. The integrated Environmental Assessment (IEA) methodology was adopted, including the DPSIR (Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact, Responses) framework, analysis of existing policies, and the outlook. Consequently, data were collected from official health statistics in Bahrain, and related policies for the last two decades (2001 to 2021) were also collected, in addition to interviews with Bahrain medical waste (BMW) treatment company. The results show a vast increase in medical waste during COVID-19. Moreover, most of the existing policies address the impact of the BMW issues, but the policies are lacking in tackling the drivers and pressures;there is also a policy gap related to the generation rate. Accordingly, a set of policies was proposed to overcome the two medical waste issues. Moreover, to overcome issues associated with MW, the study recommended reforming regulations aiming to reduce and manage medical waste efficiently in order to focus more on drivers and pressure causing an elevation in MW issues in Bahrain. © 2023 by the authors.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Assessment of Behavior and Attitudes in Medical Waste Management Among Healthcare Workers in Kuwait

The COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting world economies, business revenues, and the livelihood of many individuals, and has also resulted in accumulated medical waste. Countries, governments, and health workers are striving to contain this virus by applying different strategies and protocols. This research investigates and identifies the significant determinants that influence the acceptance and Adoption of non-hazardous medical waste recycling behaviour in Kuwait. This article questions whether healthcare workers in Kuwait are actually behaving differently regarding non-hazardous medical waste recycling during the pandemic as opposed to previously. The study uses a deductive research approach involving a quantitative methodology by applying the theory of planned behaviour as a framework. From an overall perspective, individuals have positive intentions and behaviours toward recycling. However, COVID-19 and the fear of spreading the virus had a positive impact on the healthcare workers' recycling behaviour in public hospitals in Kuwait. © 2022 IGI Global. All rights reserved.

War on waste: Challenges and experiences in COVID-19 waste management.

COVID-19 has posed formidable challenges including overwhelming bio-medical waste. Guidelines have been rapidly changing along with mounting pressure of waste generation. These challenges were managed by smart re-engineering of structure and processes for desired outcomes. Dedicated staff in PPE with appropriate training were deployed to collect waste using dedicated trolleys. A dedicated route plan was drawn with a dedicated lift meant for COVID-19. A new temporary holding area was created. Dedicated trucks with requisite labels were deployed to transport COVID-19 waste to CBWTF. Communication challenge was addressed through timely circulars, which were further reinforced and reiterated during various on-going training programs.Before the onset of COVID-19 pandemic Bio-Medical Waste generated was 1.93kg/Bed/Day and currently the quantum of COVID-19 biomedical waste generated is 7.76Kg/COVID Bed/Day. Daily COVID-19 waste generation data is maintained and uploaded in an android Application. Till date none of the worker handling COVID-19 waste has acquired Healthcare associated COVID-19 infection which reflects on the soundness of the new system and the infection control practices in the Institute. A responsive leadership harmonizing with a robust communication and training system has augmented timely re-engineering of structure and processes for better outcomes in the war on waste.