Mapping healthcare waste management research: Past evolution, current challenges, and future perspectives towards a circular economy transition.
J Hazard Mater
; 422: 126724, 2022 01 15.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1330960
ABSTRACT
Improper healthcare waste (HCW) management poses significant risks to the environment, human health, and socio-economic sustainability due to the infectious and hazardous nature of HCW. This research aims at rendering a comprehensive landscape of the body of research on HCW management by (i) mapping the scientific development of HCW research, (ii) identifying the prominent HCW research themes and trends, and (iii) providing a research agenda for HCW management towards a circular economy (CE) transition and sustainable environment. The analysis revealed four dominant HCW research themes (1) HCW minimization, sustainable management, and policy-making; (2) HCW incineration and its associated environmental impacts; (3) hazardous HCW management practices; and (4) HCW handling and occupational safety and training. The results showed that the healthcare industry, despite its potential to contribute to the CE transition, has been overlooked in the CE discourse due to the single-use mindset of the healthcare industry in the wake of the infectious, toxic, and hazardous nature of HCW streams. The findings shed light on the HCW management domain by uncovering the current status of HCW research, highlighting the existing gaps and challenges, and providing potential avenues for further research towards a CE transition in the healthcare industry and HCW management.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Waste Management
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Hazard Mater
Journal subject:
Environmental Health
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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