Improving Waste Segregation in the Operating Room to Decrease Overhead Cost.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Environmental Science
• Medical Waste Management

Background:

• Operating rooms generate substantial hospital waste (20-33%), impacting management costs and environmental health.
• A significant portion (70%) of operating room waste is misclassified as clinical waste, increasing expenses and environmental harm.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of waste segregation education for operating room anesthesia staff.
• To improve waste segregation compliance within the operating room setting.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement project was conducted in a 19-operating room hospital.
• Waste segregation education was implemented, followed by pre- and post-intervention monitoring of sharps bin weight and compliance rates.
• Anesthesia staff completed knowledge, barriers, and demographic assessments.

Main Results:

• Knowledge assessment scores improved post-education (M=9.90) compared to pre-education (M=9.18).
• Sharps bin compliance increased from 50.70% pre-implementation to 58.44% post-implementation.
• A 27.64% decrease in sharps disposal costs was observed, estimating an annual savings of $2964.

Conclusions:

• Waste segregation education enhances anesthesia staff knowledge of waste management protocols.
• The educational intervention led to improved compliance in sharps waste disposal.
• Implementing waste segregation education resulted in measurable cost savings for the hospital.