#8 Healthcare Workers: 8 Common Challenges and Solutions for Clinical Staff
Sharpsmart UK
Partnering with clinical staff within the four walls of healthcare to provide safe, sustainable clinical waste solutions
How many challenges related to healthcare waste do you come up against each day?
?If it’s any more than 0, we’ve got some solutions that can improve your day-to-day…
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Welcome to Issue #8 of Waste Matters – our theme for this month is Healthcare Workers.
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What’s in this issue??
We’ve put together a list of the most common issues encountered by clinical staff and proposed a solution for each one.
Let us know if there’s any we’ve missed…
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Lack of Awareness
Challenges arise due to a lack of awareness about waste regulations and best practices, posing risks to health and the environment.
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Solution: Offer Blended learning through training and educational materials designed to inform staff about best practices in a way that’s relatable, and memorable.
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Resource Constraints
Limited resources including space for waste holds and compounds, as well as bin placement and bins being ‘turned’ too early are all common issues in healthcare waste management.
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Solution: Explore cost-effective solutions and identify efficient ways to get more out of your available resources and enhance waste management capabilities within existing limitations.
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Storage and Handling Risks
Improper waste storage and handling expose staff and patients to risks including needlestick injuries and manual handling problems, especially when segregated incorrectly either at the ward level, the waste hold, or both.
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Solution: Implement a definitive waste policy and protocols for waste handling, and establish appropriate storage locations with clear signage and labelling.
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Infection Prevention and Control
Healthcare workers face infection risks in handling clinical waste making it imperative that all clinical staff know how to identify and dispose of infectious waste.
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Solution: Establish clear infection prevention and control protocols to maintain a hygienic healthcare environment and continually monitor waste management practices.
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Compliance with Regulations
Staying updated with complex regulations is a continuous challenge – plus the fact that healthcare waste regulations are rarely the most riveting reads …
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Solution: Provide accessible bite-size updates through established communication channels and regular training sessions. Also, work with experts to keep staff up-to-date.
Proper Segregation
Incorrect segregation leads to financial, legal, health, and environmental costs.
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Solution: Emphasise the importance of correct segregation and provide practical guidance through ongoing training and educational materials. You can also introduce systems to make correct segregation second nature with minimal staff behavioural change.
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Waste Minimisation
Prevention is better than cure, it’s also top of the waste hierarchy – reducing healthcare waste requires a collective effort with all clinical staff on the same page.
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Solution: Implement waste reduction strategies such as recycling programmes and opt for reusable items to reduce single-use plastics.
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Waste Training
Lack of focus on waste management in training contributes to challenges such as the aforementioned lack of awareness, which lies at the root of many waste-related issues.
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Solution: Provide regular training sessions and continuous education to empower staff to safely navigate the complexities of waste management effectively and efficiently.
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Proper waste training tailored to your facility is the easiest way to overcome all of the common challenges we’ve highlighted in this blog and be set for success.
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If there’s one thing to take away from this list it’s this: waste training is never wasted training.
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What’s coming in the next issue?
We hope you found this issue helpful – the theme for our March issue is Healthcare Waste Management where we’ll be looking at:
·??????? Things you waste service provider might not tell you.
·??????? Questions you can ask to prompt them for more information.
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We’d welcome any feedback on topics and themes you’d like to see in future issues.
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If you enjoyed the content in this newsletter, please consider joining our Network for Healthcare Heroes – we expand on content like this in more depth, as well as provide free resources and guidance on all things healthcare waste.
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