Statistical predictors of hazardous medical waste generation rates in a 40-bed general hospital

Objective of the work was to investigate correlations among hazardous medical waste generation
rates and various hospital parameters in 2 departments and a clinic of a 40-bed Hellenic general
hospital (Hospital of Ikaria). Medical waste was recorded at the bio-pathology lab, the pathology
clinic and the emergency department 4 times daily during a 42 sampling day period (from December
2008 to May 2009). The hospital parameters recorded on a daily basis were the number of
examinees, the number of patients that occupied beds and the number of tests performed daily at
the clinical bio-pathology laboratory. The dependent variable was the medical waste generation rate
(kg day-1) in all cases. Statistically significant linear correlations were established in all departments;
the strongest correlation (R2≈0.75) was calculated at the clinical bio-pathology laboratory and the
weakest (R2=0.30) at the emergency department. An analysis of variance (Tukey’s t-test) and a nonparametric
statistical test revealed that medical waste generation rates from the clinical biopathology
laboratory were statistically lower in the weekends compared to weekdays. In addition,
medical waste amounts generated by the pathology clinic were statistically lower during December
and January compared to February and April.