Healthcare waste management: an interpretive structural modeling approach
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
ISSN: 0952-6862
Article publication date: 13 June 2016
Abstract
Purpose
The World Health Organization identified infectious healthcare waste as a threat to the environment and human health. India’s current medical waste management system has limitations, which lead to ineffective and inefficient waste handling practices. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to: first, identify the important barriers that hinder India’s healthcare waste management (HCWM) systems; second, classify operational, tactical and strategical issues to discuss the managerial implications at different management levels; and third, define all barriers into four quadrants depending upon their driving and dependence power.
Design/methodology/approach
India’s HCWM system barriers were identified through the literature, field surveys and brainstorming sessions. Interrelationships among all the barriers were analyzed using interpretive structural modeling (ISM). Fuzzy-Matrice d’Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée á un Classement (MICMAC) analysis was used to classify HCWM barriers into four groups.
Findings
In total, 25 HCWM system barriers were identified and placed in 12 different ISM model hierarchy levels. Fuzzy-MICMAC analysis placed eight barriers in the second quadrant, five in third and 12 in fourth quadrant to define their relative ISM model importance.
Research limitations/implications
The study’s main limitation is that all the barriers were identified through a field survey and barnstorming sessions conducted only in Uttarakhand, Northern State, India. The problems in implementing HCWM practices may differ with the region, hence, the current study needs to be replicated in different Indian states to define the waste disposal strategies for hospitals.
Practical implications
The model will help hospital managers and Pollution Control Boards, to plan their resources accordingly and make policies, targeting key performance areas.
Originality/value
The study is the first attempt to identify India’s HCWM system barriers and prioritize them.
Keywords
Citation
Thakur, V. and Anbanandam, R. (2016), "Healthcare waste management: an interpretive structural modeling approach", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 29 No. 5, pp. 559-581. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-02-2016-0010
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited