Healthcare waste management analysis in a higher education institution of dental medicine

Abstract

Healthcare waste (HCW) requires special care due mainly to the presence of chemical and biological agents, which are potentially harmful to public and environmental health. One of the generating sources of HCW is dental services, whose waste causes public and occupational health risks. It is the responsibility of health care facilities to manage the waste generated by them through a healthcare waste management plan (HCWMP). In this context, the objective of the study was to evaluate HCW management and the HCWMP of a College of Dental Medicine linked to a higher education institution (HEI). The research instruments used were document analysis of the unit’s HCWMP; direct observation of the waste generation source; and participant observation. All research instruments followed a script based on the recommendations of the Brazilian legislation. The results found point to the existence of flaws in the elaboration of the HCWMP and in its application in the practice of daily activities carried out in the facility. Therefore, it is recommended that HCW management be an integral part of teachers, technicians and other faculty members’ continuing education, in a way that it is integrated into teaching, research and extension activities, so that this theme is included in the routine of the academic community, even as part of future professionals’ academic training.