Gerenciamento de resíduos dos serviços de saúde em período de pandemia no Hospital Universitário Alcides Carneiro-HUAC/UFCG.

Abstract

The Health Care Waste Management (HCWM) presents itself as a challenging and complex job for hospital units, mainly because of the various waste generated and handled by different professionals. The research aimed to evaluate the processes of medical waste management generated in the COVID-19 pandemic at the Hospital UniversitárioAlcidesCarneiro/UFCG (HUAC/UFCG) in the city of Campina Grande- PB. The study was exploratory, descriptive, and documentary field research through a qualitative-quantitative approach. Data were collected through observation in the field, photographic records, database registered at HUAC, document analysis of the HCWM plan existing in the hospital, and bibliographic research. A checklist was applied about all HCWM procedures, according to RDC 222/2018, applying the priority matrix to assess the situation of HCWM. Data were analyzed and interpreted by statistical analysis. Quantities of medical waste from the years 2019, 2020, and 2021 were compared, considering the period that the institution kept the COVID-19 isolation ward active, assisting the population affected by COVID-19. It was found that the year 2019 had the highest amount of annual medical waste generation, compared to the years 2020 and 2021. There was an increase in the generation of infectious medical waste in the year 2021, possibly associated with the treatment of patients contaminated by COVID- 19. During the pandemic period, there was a decrease in the total quantification of medical waste generated at the HUAC and it appears that the hospital unit includes practices aimed at a process of continuous improvement in all stages of HCWM management.