Waste management plays a crucial鈥攁nd often overlooked鈥攔ole in safeguarding patients, healthcare workers, and communities.
By Kristin Aldred, PhD
America is getting older at unprecedented levels. By 2050, nearly one in four Americans will be over 65, a 47 percent increase from 2022 levels, according to the Population Reference Bureau. While it is great that Americans are living longer, the surge in America鈥檚 aging population鈥攃ombined with growing demand for at-home care鈥攊s reshaping not only how the healthcare industry delivers services, but also how it is managing a vital industry issue: medical waste.
In the U.S. alone, hospitals generate more than 5 million tons of waste annually. Regulated medical waste costs organizations about a third of their overall waste management budget. The industry is also becoming more complex, as demand for at-home healthcare continues to grow driven by factors such as aging in place, chronic condition management, technology, and patient preference for comfort and convenience. More providers are delivering care in non-traditional settings, and millions of Americans are managing their own chronic illnesses such as diabetes, allergies, migraines, and obesity. Additionally, more than 3 billion injections are administered outside of healthcare facilities annually, adding complexities to waste collection and disposal.
These trends are not slowing down anytime soon. 国产麻豆 healthcare is expected to surge, especially as the healthcare sector experiences ongoing labor shortages. What鈥檚 more, between 2024 and 2032, the U.S. home healthcare services market is projected to grow 7.2 percent annually, from around $101 billion to $176.3 billion. That is a significant increase in medical waste coming out of homes, which often is not regulated in the same way as medical waste generated in hospitals and healthcare facilities.
The potential consequences spurred by non-compliance with medical waste regulations can be severe, such as risk of infections and injuries, like needlesticks. Indirect impacts to healthcare providers like productivity loss, loss of income, emotional trauma, and economic burdens of medical compensation claims are all common byproducts.
For healthcare professionals, proper regulated medical waste management must stay top-of-mind to help ensure a safe and healthy environment for patients, healthcare workers, and communities alike. And as care settings shift, health systems need to develop robust strategies for the safe management of regulated medical waste generated in those non-traditional locations, including homes.
What is Medical Waste?
Medical waste is multifaceted and encompasses a range of materials, including biohazardous waste (such as items contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials), sharps like needles and scalpels, pathological waste from tissues or organs, unused or expired pharmaceuticals, and DEA-regulated controlled substances. Proper identification and management of these distinct waste streams are vital to ensure regulatory compliance and maintain public health safety.
A Sticking Point: Proper Sharps Management
Sharps containers are a necessary part of any medical waste program to ensure safety and compliance. Proper sharps management and disposal can significantly reduce the risk of needlestick injuries and other sharps-related incidents. This, in turn, limits the potential spread of bloodborne pathogens.
When sharps are discarded in the regular trash, they present a public and environmental safety hazard and increase the risk of needlestick injuries. This danger extends not only to the individual handling the sharp, but also to those involved in waste collection, through contact with an exposed needle.
Beyond sharps, improper disposal of other medical waste including biohazardous materials (such as PPE and other items contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials) and pharmaceuticals, may also pose risks at Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) and transfer stations.
To facilitate the safe collection and disposal of sharps from home, patients and providers should consider using a sharps mail-back program. These programs offer a cost-effective and convenient disposal option, complete with sharps management kits that include everything needed to safely collect sharps and mail them back for disposal.
To reduce environmental impacts and improve circularity, healthcare facilities should seek out reusable sharps containers. These containers offer a practical and sustainable solution by reducing reliance on single-use plastics and decreasing overall costs through product usage reduction. Healthcare professionals can use each reusable container multiple times (some as many as 600 times). That means less energy and fewer materials in manufacturing, use, transportation and disposal. It also reduces the burden on supply chains and transportation. Adopting reusable sharps containers may help save money and reduce environmental impact by reducing the purchase and disposal of single-use sharps containers.
The Unused Pharmaceuticals Problem Putting Communities at Risk
A key component in safe medication handling is the proper disposal of unused medication. Patients and healthcare providers produce medication waste in formal settings, as patients recover from surgery or major illness, and in patient homes, as patients manage chronic illness and other conditions. If disposed of incorrectly, active pharmaceutical ingredients can be released into the environment. Washing drugs down sinks, flushing them down toilets, or throwing them away in the regular trash are all examples of improper drug disposal methods for various types of drugs.
When done correctly, pharmaceutical waste management can also help protect the environment and prevent dangerous medications from getting into the wrong hands. Many patients may not realize the important role they play in preventing prescription drug abuse. According to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report, 39.1 percent of the 8.6 million people who misused prescription opioids obtained them from a friend or relative. For patients who have leftover pills, improper management can lead to diversion that might result in abuse or other unintended harm.
Effective pharmaceutical waste disposal procedures begin with a plan. In health systems, healthcare administrators should create and train employees on a detailed waste management plan for all care settings that aligns with applicable EPA, DEA, and state rules, as well as industry best practices. For personal care at home, patients should consider using a drug take-back program to dispose of unused or expired medications.
Images courtesy of Stericycle.
Call to Action: Everyone Has a Role to Play in Medical Waste Management
Everyone鈥攅ven down to the individual patient or consumer鈥攈as a vital role to play in medical waste management. From sharps to unneeded, expired, or unused medications, when healthcare waste is mishandled, patients, healthcare workers, and communities are all at risk.
In partnership with waste management services providers, the healthcare sector as a whole must stay ahead of new and emerging trends in medical waste management and consider how those trends鈥攕uch as the rise in home healthcare and the growing use of single-use injectables鈥攊mpact patients, caregivers, workers, workplaces, and communities. By getting ahead of these medical waste trends, the healthcare industry can advance a safer and healthier environment for all. | WA
Kristin Aldred, PhD, is Director, Government Affairs, North America at Stericycle, now part of WM, where she advocates for sound policies to protect communities, healthcare workers, patients and the environment. She can be reached at [email protected].