Title: Identifying and evaluating barriers for healthcare waste management: an integrated approach

Authors: Abhishek Raj; Cherian Samuel

Addresses: Mechanical Engineering Department, IIT (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India ' Mechanical Engineering Department, IIT (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India

Abstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) identified healthcare waste as highly infectious and threatening the environment and human health. India's current healthcare waste management system has certain limitations, which lead to ineffective waste handling practices. So, proper healthcare waste treatment is becoming mandatory for the environment and safety. Healthcare waste management (HCWM) requires efficient collection and segregation of waste for proper disposal. The paper approaches the healthcare sector's issues and challenges in treating and managing healthcare waste. Interpretive structural modelling (ISM) was used to find the design requirements, which were transferred to QFD for prioritising. Results from ISM and QFD indicated that government support and policies, awareness, training and workshops, high priority to waste management issues, and support of top authorities have significant implications on people and society. This analysis will provide a result that will help the stakeholders implement healthcare waste management.

Keywords: healthcare; waste management; interpretive structural modelling; ISM; quality function deployment; QFD; India.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPQM.2023.134808

International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 2023 Vol.40 No.3, pp.364 - 382

Received: 18 Nov 2021
Accepted: 05 Jan 2022
Published online: 13 Nov 2023 *

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