Gerenciamento de resíduos de serviços de saúde na atenção hospitalar no município de Santa Cruz do Sul/RS.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Health Service Waste (HSS) can impact the environment and public health when management is inoperative or ineffective. Thus, actions related to waste management require attention from health professionals and competent bodies, through a Health Services Waste Management Plan (PGRSS). OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to investigate the situation of the management of RSS produced in the secondary and hospital care network, in the city of Santa Cruz do Sul, RS. MANUSCRIPT 1: Introduction: The knowledge of health professionals about the management of RSS contributes to the quality of life of the population and the environment. The objective is to analyze the knowledge of professionals about RSS management. Methodology: Quantitative, descriptive, comparative and association study. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire for 151 health professionals. For data analysis, descriptive statistical analysis was used, using measures of central tendency and the respective measure of dispersion for continuous variables and absolute and relative frequencies for categorical variables. The normality of the continuous variables data was verified by the Shapiro-Wilk test. The comparison of the level of knowledge between independent variables that had two groups was tested by the Mann-Whitney U, while the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for three groups. The association between continuous variables was performed using the Spearman correlation test. p values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: 136 (90.0%) of the subjects know the RSS and 92 (60.9%) know the PGRSS. A significant difference was found in relation to the professionals' knowledge between genders (p=0.003), age (rô= -0.167; p=0.041) and in-hospital sectors (p=0.018). Conclusion: Health professionals' knowledge about RSS is fragile, especially about treatment and final destination. Keywords: Health Services Waste Management Plan, Environmental Impact, Solid Waste, Continuing Education. MANUSCRIPT 2: Introduction: RSS management prevents accidents at work, in addition to promoting public health. Objective: To analyze the association of occupational accidents caused by sharps with the knowledge of professionals about the management of RSS and to investigate the PGRSS. Methodology: Descriptive, association, qualitative and quantitative study. The research was divided into two axes: Axis 1 - (Association of occupational accidents with the knowledge of health professionals about RSS management) and Axis 2 - (Situation of RSS management through the analysis of PGRSS). For quantitative data analysis, the normality of continuous variables was verified by the Shapiro-Wilk test and the differences between groups were compared by the Mann-Whitney U test. Associations between categorical variables were performed using the chi-square test. Results: In the two hospitals studied, no association was found between knowledge and occupational accidents with sharps. The PGRSS are in accordance with RDC No. 222/2018, but do not have a contingency plan and do not make it clear about the treatment of liquid effluents. Conclusion: There is no association of accidents with sharps with the knowledge of professionals and the PGRSS require updates and improvements. Keywords: Accidents at work; Health Services Waste Management Plan; Environmental impact. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: Knowledge about the RSS, the existence and efficiency of the PGRSS in health institutions, in addition to the handling and final destination of the RSS, is essential to minimize the impacts on the environment and consequently on human health.