Medical Waste Disposal and Increased Efficiency in a Hospital
Every second counts when it comes to saving lives inside of a busy hospital. Here, efficiency is not just about cutting corners to cut costs, it is about decreasing the number of steps it takes to provide quality medical care to patients in need. One way in which you can improve on this is by implementing a medical waste disposal system that is customized to meet the demands of your hospital.
Identifying the Sources of Medical Waste inside of a Hospital
The first step towards optimizing efficiency in a hospital is by locating all of the sources of medical waste. This is a big undertaking for large hospitals, especially where there are multiple patient care areas. Following the trail of a patient, you will find that biological by-products are in the intake salon, exam areas, patient rooms and surgery suites. Each one will have its own needs in regards to medical waste disposal.
- Intake Nurse Station – Patients will enter an emergency room in all types of physical condition. To maintain efficiency, the intake salon should have red bag containers readily available. This will allow the attending staff to quickly dispose of biological waste safely without having to lose focus on the patient.
- Exam Areas – Rows of beds and limited space inside of an emergency room make it difficult for medical staff to move around. When looking at containers for medical waste disposal you will want those that can be kept out of the way of patients and personnel, while still being easily accessible. Sharps disposal and red bag waste will both be necessary in emergency exam areas of a hospital.
- Patient Rooms – Each unit of your hospital will need to be observed and managed as a separate entity. What works in rooms for older patients for example may not be appropriate for pediatric patient rooms. Other special conditions may also apply when looking at a floor that is dedicated to a specialty services, such as chemotherapy suites. To maintain efficiency, personnel should look at the distance from patient beds to the medical waste containers, making sure that staff can reach them easily while conducting procedures such as drawing blood.
- Surgery Suites – Surgical areas in a hospital generate more biological waste at one time than any other area. To maintain efficiency, seek containers that are easy to move, but that will not leak if overturned or shifted abruptly. Systems should be in place that ensure the quick removal of all medical waste from the salon after procedures are complete to prevent any type of accidental cross examination. With all the medical waste confined, it will be faster to expedite its safe removal from the surgery suite and into a secure medical waste disposal area.
A professional medical waste disposal company can assist hospital administrators in the assessment of their facility and placement of medical waste containers to improve efficiency. A key component in the disposal of medical waste is to be able to do so in a way that does not interfere with direct patient care, while at the same time protecting the health of those who may come into contact with it.