Online ISSN: 2515-8260

Understanding Clinical Waste Management and the Risk of Cross-Contamination Diseases in Malaysian Public Healthcare Facilities

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Marziah Zahara & Fauzuradhi Fazirb

Abstract

Abstract Clinical waste management in the hospital plays a considerable role in healthcare facilities, as it serves as the frontline that deals with clinical disposal, where zero cross-contamination exposure to the public must be ensured. In this paper, a preliminary study was conducted to investigate the biohazard container etiquette in a selected Malaysian healthcare facility. The yellow bin is a designated container used to dispose of contaminated clinical waste that could spread pathogenic microorganisms to humans. The findings show that several biohazard bins were positioned in non-restricted pathways containing general plastic, papers, and rejected medical parts. It is assumed that a lot of effort is required to educate both the public and the staff regarding biohazard bin etiquette. To date, more inspections are still being conducted to determine the impact of misusing the biohazard bin. Nevertheless, the authors are currently developing descriptive statistics to investigate the public awareness of biohazard bin etiquette in hospitals. A new strategy to improve clinical waste management sustainability in a healthcare facility is also being proposed.

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