Avaliação do gerenciamento dos resíduos de saúde no Hospital Universitário Alcides Carneiro em Campina Grande-PB.

Abstract

The waste generated by health services, despite to represent a small amount when compared with the general residues, are important as to security of the professionals who handle them, as to public health and the environment. Thus, it necessary to standardize a good management of them, and a way to solve this issue is the development and implementation of a management plan. However, it is not enough just regulation by legal and normative instruments, but should be also a conscious positioning of managers and employees. Campina Grande/PB city also facing this problem, because the waste of health not receive due attention. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the process of waste management in health area at Alcides Carneiro University Hospital, located in this country. It was used descriptive type methodology, cross-sectional and exploratory qualitative-quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 186 employees from different education levels, and the study was conducted classifying and quantifying the waste, watching the sectors that generated and stored such waste, management plan study and questionnaires applications. It was observed that the institution produces residues of the groups A, B, D and E, generating monthly 11,767 kg. Failures were observed at all stages of management: separation, packaging, collection, flow and storage. Although the Hospital already has a waste management plan, it has not brought significant improvements to the institution, because it was never updated or discussed with employees, and present shortcomings that undermine its purpose. The data also showed that the lack of knowledge concerning of the waste management was present in most reports of respondents. In the Hospital, biosecurity actions and the concern with the environment are not being worked, causing, thus, a situation of vulnerability for the professionals and the environment. It was concluded that are needed interventions of Hospital managers, mediated by strategies that take to reflection of the current practices and commitment of professionals seeking a new institutional scenario, focusing in the employees biosecurity, promotion of public health and environmental preservation.