Current Status of Home Medical Care Waste Collection by Nurses in Japan

A questionnaire survey was conducted to determine the current status of home medical care (HMC) waste collection by nurses for individual items and whether the collection rate differs with city size. The questionnaire was mailed to 1,022 nursing offices, of which 645 offices provided valid responses. Offices were classified into three groups according to the local population size. Responses indicated that used syringes and needles, except for pen-type self-injection needles, were collected by >50% of HMC nurses. On the other hand, enteral nutrients, nutritional adjustment diet vessels, feeding tubes, portable injectors, ventilator masks, endotracheal suction catheters, tracheal cannulas, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) bags, and urinary catheters and bags had a low collection rate in comparison with syringes or needles. The collection percentage of used syringes, needles, and infusion needles (p < 0.05) and that for infusion bags, tubes, and catheters (p < 0.001) differed among the three population groups. Although municipalities are responsible for collect all HMC waste, sharp or infectious items should be collected by HMC doctors or nurses. On the contrary, nonhazardous HMC waste should be collected by municipalities.

This paper illustrates the status of waste collection of individual home medical care (HMC) items by HMC nurses. Infectious waste, such as needles and syringes, is collected by nurses. The collection rate of infectious waste by nurses in large cities was low compared with that in small cities. Although municipalities are responsible for collecting all HMC waste, sharp or infectious items should be collected by HMC doctors or nurses, whereas nonhazardous HMC waste should be collected by the municipalities.