Survey of Collection and Disposal of Medical Wastes in Teaching Hospitals of Sari, Mazandaran, in ۲۰۱۳

Background & Objectives: A large portion of medical wastes is dangerous, which is hazardous to the health of human beings, animals, plants, and environment. Considering the importance of this issue, this study aimed to evaluate the collection and disposal of medical waste in teaching hospitals of Sari, Mazandaran, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional, descriptive study, a questionnaire including ۱۲۲ items was distributed in four teaching hospitals during June-July ۲۰۱۳. The validity of this questionnaire was confirmed by faculty members, and its reliability was calculated to be ۰.۷۹۵. The results were analyzed using SPSS version ۱۷ and Microsoft Excel. Results: The rate of medical waste generation in these hospitals was estimated at ۲.۱۹ kg/bed, ۵۷%, ۳۶%, and ۳.۶% of which were domestic wastes, infectious wastes, and sharp objects, respectively. Since medical waste is disposed out of the cities, municipality was responsible for transportation and disposal of waste out of the hospitals, except for one. Only Zare Hospital had incinerator, and BuAli and Imam Khomeini Hospials used Hydroclave (waste disposal device) and autoclave for disinfecting the infectious waste. Conclusion: The execution of the decree of Ministery of Health in relation to medical waste management is done monthly, and on the whole, proper equipments and facilities were used for waste collection.