Clinical waste is the waste generated by hospitals, doctors' offices and clinics. It includes items such as used bandages, blood-soaked cotton balls, discarded surgical instruments, expired pharmaceuticals and more. Clinical waste can be reused if it's collected properly and handled correctly in an appropriate facility.
Clinical waste refers to the medical waste generated by hospitals, doctors' offices, clinics, laboratories and nursing homes. Clinical waste is a broad term that includes many different types of waste. The following are examples of clinical wastes:
-
In infectious: blood product, tampons with menstrual flow on them, used bandages (unless sterile)
-
In pathological: tissues from surgical operations or laboratory samples
-
Chemical: empty medication vials; expired medications; broken medical equipment such as wheelchairs and hospital beds
Continuity is the key to effective clinical waste management.
It’s important to remember that your staff members are going to be taking on a new responsibility: ensuring that clinical waste is disposed of properly. This means being able to trust them, but also knowing that they can handle the job. The best way for you (and your staff) to do this is by having access to training, resources and support when it comes time for an employee turnover or change in responsibilities.
It is important to have a place for clinical waste so it can be reused as efficiently as possible
It is also very important to store clinical waste in a secure location. In addition, the container that holds your clinical waste should be marked with a biohazard symbol. This will help alert people who may not know what it means that they should not touch or handle the container without proper training and equipment.
It's also crucial that you don't store your clinical waste in places where household trash is kept or where regular garbage cans are located because this could lead to cross-contamination of other materials and cause them to become contaminated with pathogens from the clinical material.
Conclusion
It can be difficult to find a place to dispose of clinical waste and it is important to have a place for clinical waste so it can be reused as efficiently as possible.