Current status of waste management at homevisit n

Authors: Yukihiro Ikeda

Publish Date: 2012/05/31

Volume: 14, Issue: 3, Pages: 202-205

PDF Link

Abstract

A questionnaire survey was conducted with the aim of examining the problems involved in the disposal of infectious waste at homevisit nursing stations and in its handling during home visits by nurses From among the homevisit nursing stations registered with the National Association for HomeVisit Nursing Care 1965 offices were selected at random and questionnaires were sent to the selected offices Nurses at 1314 offices 669  responded to the survey and responses from 1283 offices were identified as suitable for analysis after excluding 26 offices that closed and five offices whose main field of care was psychiatry Offices were classified by management configuration Offices attached to hospitals were classified as “attached office” and all others were classified as “independent office” More attached office nurses recovered medical waste from patients’ homes than did independent office nurses They were also more likely to transport waste with them during the course of a day’s visits There was a significant difference between attached and independent offices in the burden of expense for waste disposal Both offices have strong concern about waste treatment containers and handling in improvement in home medical care HMC waste disposal Thus in order to alleviate these concerns it is necessary to provide nurses with containers for medical waste suited to homevisit nursing care and tools for preventing injuries Japanese government should address HMC waste disposal more comprehensively through necessary legislation subsidization and standardization

Keywords: