Medical waste management practices in primary, secondary, and tertiary hospitals in Anhui Province, China

Improper medical waste management threatens public health and the environment. The objective of this study was to investigate the practices of medical waste management in different level hospitals. A multicenter study was conducted in 566 hospitals in Anhui Province, China. A self-designed online questionnaire was applied to collect the hospital's characteristics, amount and handling practices of medical waste, and occupational safety measures. The average generation rates of medical waste were 0.62 kg/bed, 0.43 kg/bed, and 0.46 kg/bed per day in tertiary hospitals, secondary hospitals, and primary hospitals, respectively. Different levels of hospitals varied in implementing medical waste management in regulations and processes, segregation, collection, transport, temporary storage centers, disposal, special medical waste, and disposal personnel's protective measures. Partial practices of medical waste management in some surveyed hospitals were not well performed, especially in primary hospitals. Hospitals should pay more attention to all processes of medical waste management, strengthen management of highly infectious and hazardous waste, and provide sufficient training and protective measures. Besides, effective policies are recommended for monitoring compliance with regulations and improving proper medical waste management.