An investigation of the healthcare waste (HCW) management practices at a public and private hospital in Khomas region, Namibia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the HCW management practices at a public and private hospital in Khomas region, Namibia. A quantitative cross sectional descriptive design was used to compare the HCW management practices between the two hospitals. The study population included the nurses, doctors, pharmacists and cleaners. Purposive sampling was used to select the healthcare facilities and a stratified random sampling method was used to select the respondents from both hospitals. Three data sets were collected differently. Self- administered questionnaires were used to collect data from respondents while checklists were used during respondents’ observation as well as during the inspection of hospital HCW records. Data collection was done in the whole month of June 2016 and observations of respondents were done for one whole week in each respective hospital. Hospital HCW records of the previous six months were reviewed. Data were captured on the MS Excel 2010 before analysis using the SPSS version 23.0. The study results revealed that the respondents had good knowledge on the different types of HCW generated, the segregation of HCW, colour coding system, use of protective clothing, transportation and the impacts of HCW to human health and the environment. However the respondents did not possess enough knowledge on HCW management, particularly the HCW temporary storage area, weighing of waste, existence of a HCW policy, existence of a HCW management team and the availability of records of HCW generated in their hospitals.