Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41595916›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2026

Lean Six Sigma for Sharps Waste Management and Occupational Biosafety in Emergency Care Units.

Marcos Aurélio Cavalcante Ayres, Andre Luis Korzenowski, Fernando Elemar Vicente Dos Anjos, Taisson Toigo, Márcia Helena Borges Notarjacomo

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Marcos Aurélio Cavalcante AyresDepartment of Production Engineering, Unisinos-Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, São Leopoldo 93022-750, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0001-6422-460X
Andre Luis KorzenowskiDepartment of Production Engineering, Unisinos-Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, São Leopoldo 93022-750, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0002-7640-2845
Fernando Elemar Vicente Dos AnjosInstituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS), Campus Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul 95043-700, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0002-9096-2806
Taisson ToigoInstituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS), Campus Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul 95043-700, Brazil.
Márcia Helena Borges NotarjacomoDepartmentof Production Engineering, Universidade Estadual do Mato Grosso do Sul-UEMS, Dourados 79804-970, Brazil.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Occupational exposure to sharps waste represents a critical challenge for public health systems, directly affecting healthcare workers' safety, institutional costs, and environmental sustainability. This study aimed to analyze sharps waste management practices and to structure improvement actions for biosafety governance in Brazilian Emergency Care Units (ECUs) through the application of the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and DMAIC method (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control). A single multiple-case study was conducted across three public units in different regions of Brazil, combining direct observation, regulatory checklists based on ANVISA Resolution No. 222/2018 (RDC), and cause-and-effect (5M) analysis. The diagnostic phase identified recurrent nonconformities in labeling, documentation, and internal transport routes, primarily due to managerial and behavioral gaps. Based on these findings, the DMAIC framework supported the development of a low-cost, evidence-based action plan that outlined proposed interventions, including visual checklists, standardized internal routes, and key performance indicators (KPIs), intended to strengthen biosafety traceability and occupational safety. The se proposed actions are expected to support continuous learning, staff engagement, and a culture of shared responsibility for safe practices. Overall, the study provides a structured basis for future implementation and empirical validation of continuous improvement initiatives, aimed at enhancing public health governance and occupational safety in resource-constrained healthcare environments.

Indexed as

Containment of BiohazardsOccupational ExposureOccupational HealthWaste ManagementBrazilHumansTotal Quality ManagementWorking Conditionsbiosafetycontinuous improvementDMAICenvironmental sustainabilityhealthcare waste managementhealth services managementlean six sigmaoccupational healthpublic health governancesharps waste

Identifiers

PMID41595916
PMCPMC12841021

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.