Version 1
: Received: 17 October 2024 / Approved: 17 October 2024 / Online: 18 October 2024 (08:38:40 CEST)
How to cite:
McGrew, T.; Alsad, B.; Shannon, C. M.; Zarraga, O.; Prabhu, S.; Tabata, M. Improving Red Bag Waste Management in a Surgical ICU: Results of a Targeted Educational Intervention. Preprints2024, 2024101433. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1433.v1
McGrew, T.; Alsad, B.; Shannon, C. M.; Zarraga, O.; Prabhu, S.; Tabata, M. Improving Red Bag Waste Management in a Surgical ICU: Results of a Targeted Educational Intervention. Preprints 2024, 2024101433. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1433.v1
McGrew, T.; Alsad, B.; Shannon, C. M.; Zarraga, O.; Prabhu, S.; Tabata, M. Improving Red Bag Waste Management in a Surgical ICU: Results of a Targeted Educational Intervention. Preprints2024, 2024101433. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1433.v1
APA Style
McGrew, T., Alsad, B., Shannon, C. M., Zarraga, O., Prabhu, S., & Tabata, M. (2024). Improving Red Bag Waste Management in a Surgical ICU: Results of a Targeted Educational Intervention. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1433.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
McGrew, T., Sahana Prabhu and Mika Tabata. 2024 "Improving Red Bag Waste Management in a Surgical ICU: Results of a Targeted Educational Intervention" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1433.v1
Abstract
Healthcare waste presents a global environmental and public health issue, with the U.S. generating over 5 million pounds annually. Hospitals have initiated programs to reduce waste and enhance recycling, with encouraging outcomes. At our tertiary medical center, disparities in municipal waste disposal across departments led to targeted research in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU). We evaluated the effectiveness of an educational intervention aimed at improving red bag waste management. Pre-intervention audits assessed waste sorting, followed by one-minute staff presentations and infographics near disposal bins. Post-intervention audits revealed a significant reduction in inappropriate municipal waste in red bag bins, analyzed using Fisher’s exact test. Interviews suggested staff lacked recollection of prior red bag waste training, underscoring the value of continuous education. While effective, limitations included sample size and generalizability. Future studies should explore additional strategies to further improve waste disposal practices and address training gaps.
Keywords
Medical waste; environmental sustainability; educational intervention; waste sorting practices
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Other
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
