ABSTRACT
Background: Solid waste generated from activities involving health protection, medical diagnosis and treatment, known as solid medical waste (SMW), is increasing in households due to home based care, treatment of chronic diseases, shortened lengths of hospital stay, and home management of illnesses such as malaria. The hazardous properties of SMW require specific management to minimize potential harm to human health and the environment, which is often undertaken in healthcare facilities. However, little is known about the characteristics and management of SMW from non-traditional settings in the community.
Objective: To investigate the management of solid medical waste in a district in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, focusing on households, traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and chemical shop vendors (CSVs).
Methods: A descriptive, exploratory, mixed methods study, comprising a 3-staged study design was conducted in Ga South Municipal Assembly. The first stage explored collection, disposal, and harm from SMW in 600 households using questionnaires followed by interviews with private waste contractors and focus group discussions (FGDs) with adult members of households. In the second stage, household solid waste (HSW) was collected in dry and wet seasons from 60 households and manually segregated to obtain the SMW components. These were weighed and percentage composition calculated. The third stage explored stakeholder perspectives regarding segregation of SMW at source as a management option, using FGDs. Seasonal differences and relationships with SMW generation were evaluated, while qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic approach.
UDOFIA, E (2021). A Study Of Solid Medical Waste At The Community Level: Generation And Collection In Households, Among Traditional Birth Attendants And Chemical Shop Vendors, And Impacts On Health. Afribary. Retrieved from https://afribary.com/works/a-study-of-solid-medical-waste-at-the-community-level-generation-and-collection-in-households-among-traditional-birth-attendants-and-chemical-shop-vendors-and-impacts-on-health
UDOFIA, EMILIA "A Study Of Solid Medical Waste At The Community Level: Generation And Collection In Households, Among Traditional Birth Attendants And Chemical Shop Vendors, And Impacts On Health" Afribary. Afribary, 19 Apr. 2021, https://afribary.com/works/a-study-of-solid-medical-waste-at-the-community-level-generation-and-collection-in-households-among-traditional-birth-attendants-and-chemical-shop-vendors-and-impacts-on-health. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
UDOFIA, EMILIA . "A Study Of Solid Medical Waste At The Community Level: Generation And Collection In Households, Among Traditional Birth Attendants And Chemical Shop Vendors, And Impacts On Health". Afribary, Afribary, 19 Apr. 2021. Web. 26 Dec. 2024. < https://afribary.com/works/a-study-of-solid-medical-waste-at-the-community-level-generation-and-collection-in-households-among-traditional-birth-attendants-and-chemical-shop-vendors-and-impacts-on-health >.
UDOFIA, EMILIA . "A Study Of Solid Medical Waste At The Community Level: Generation And Collection In Households, Among Traditional Birth Attendants And Chemical Shop Vendors, And Impacts On Health" Afribary (2021). Accessed December 26, 2024. https://afribary.com/works/a-study-of-solid-medical-waste-at-the-community-level-generation-and-collection-in-households-among-traditional-birth-attendants-and-chemical-shop-vendors-and-impacts-on-health