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Kurannen Baaki

Dr Kurannen Baaki

Area of study
Environmental sustainability
Fellowship level
Themed
Year awarded
2022
Host university
School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment
Liverpool John Moores University
Kurannen’s primary research interest is sustainable waste management with particular focus on waste generated from healthcare facilities.
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Developing an implementation assessment tool for sustainable healthcare waste management (SHCWM): Case study of NHS trusts

Background

Significant disruptions caused by COVID-19 seemed to affect implementation of sustainable healthcare waste management (SHCWM) within healthcare facilities. Considering that the NHS targets to reach net zero carbon by 2040, disruptions such as these provide significant setbacks. This project therefore focuses on sustainable healthcare waste management within the NHS and aims to produce an adaptable implementation assessment tool for sustainable healthcare waste management that can respond adequately to changing conditions and challenges while retaining high quality of patient care.

Approach

This project will examine current healthcare waste management (HCWM) practices as well as perceptions, attitudes and knowledge of staff towards sustainable healthcare waste management (SHCWM) implementation, and parameters for assessing safe SHCWM in two NHS Trusts in North West England.

The study will use a sequential mixed methods approach, which will include qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative data will be obtained through interviews with heads of departments/wards responsible for HCWM in the case study hospitals. The project will explore current HCWM practices, identify SHCWM initiatives/approaches and identify parameters for SHCWM implementation, and through onsite observation and documentation of waste management practices, waste quantification and bin analysis. This will be followed by a survey of hospital staff directly and indirectly involved with waste generation to examine knowledge, behaviour, attitudes towards SHCWM implementation, and parameters for SHCWM implementation.

Baaki, K. (2023). Resilient sustainable healthcare waste management: a systematic review of approaches during the Covid-19 pandemic [Poster presentation]. International Solid Waste Association World Congress, Muscat, Oman (October 30 – Nov 1, 2023). https://www.iswa2023.com/

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