ArticleHCA healthcare journal of medicine2026
Expanding Waste Segregation Initiatives to Reduce Regulated Medical Waste: A Multi-Departmental Quality Improvement Project.
Article in HCA healthcare journal of medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Regulated medical waste (RMW) drives up health care costs, largely due to misclassification of general waste, especially in operating rooms (ORs), intensive care units (ICUs), and obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) departments. This study aimed to reduce RMW volume and costs at Akron City Hospital (ACH) through department-specific interventions aligning with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. Methods: Periodic analyses compared hospital-wide aggregate RMW volume, pick-up frequency, and disposal costs before and after interventions. The ORs initiated interventions in October 2022, expanding to ICUs and OBGYN by February 2024. Strategies included staff education, flyers on red bag receptacles, and adjustments to container availability and size. Monthly data (January 2022 to June 2024) were analyzed using two-tailed heteroscedastic Results: Monthly total RMW weights at ACH dropped from 56 366 lbs in 2022 to 45 148 lbs in 2023 and 37 017 lbs in early 2024 ( Conclusion: Department-specific interventions significantly reduced RMW volume and costs while enhancing sustainability. Tailored education and operational adjustments offer a scalable model for sustainable waste management in health care, addressing both financial and environmental challenges.
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