title: [MANAGEMENT OF HEALTHCARE WASTE IN THE HOSPITAL SETTING. UNDERSTANDING RISK MANAGEMENT].
abstract: The sanitary waste represents a potential hazard for health workers. Given the high risk of infection in labor accidents, the correct management of sanitary waste minimizes this risk and improves labor and environment conditions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify risk perception with health professionals in relation to the advanced sorting and management of healthcare waste (HW).
  
  
  METHODS
  The current study is a descriptive, cross-sectional. The sample size was 177 health workers (nurse assistants, nurses, physicians, lab technicians) from three hospitals in Barcelona (Catalonia). Homemade questionnaire and questions with a free and spontaneous association and incomplete sentences were used to analyze labor variables, perception of risk and personal security through a Likert scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using a score from 1 (the lowest perception of risk) to 5 (the high perception of risk) to assess the risk perception, the average value for nurse assistants, nurses, physicians, and lab technicians was 3.71, 3.75, 3.83 and 4.03, respectively. Referring to items with free and spontaneous response association, 44.8% of workers consider HW as a biohazard, 29.6% consider it as waste material, 22.1% state that it must be managed properly and 3.5% described it as unknown residues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that all health professionals generally have a perception of high risk. The lab technicians have a higher perception of the real risk of inadequate management of HW A 63.2% report that everyone has to make a proper management to preserve their occupational health; the 59% consider that the HW are a biological risk to the general population and only the 47.8% that are harmful to public health. Although it should be noted that only 44.8% think that HW are toxic and dangerous.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Galimany-Masclans
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Torres-Egea
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sancho-Agredano
authors.forename: Ma Rosa
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Girbau-García
authors.forename: Núria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fabrellas
authors.forename: Ma Llum
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Torrens-Garcia
authors.forename: Gemma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martínez-Estalella
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal / Q000592:standards*; D012308:Risk Management
chemical_list: D017744:Medical Waste Disposal