Monitoring, Verification, and Treatment of Infectious Wastes and Their Optimal Management in the Hospitals of Qom City, Iran

Background and Objectives: Given that no comprehensive studies have yet been conducted on treatment of infectious wastes in hospitals of Qom City, this research was performed with the purpose of investigating the treatment methods used in these hospitals and monitoring the performance of waste elimination devices. Methods: Required information was obtained through in-person visit and observing the current situation, and the variables affecting waste treatment were extracted based on the type of treatment systems, and were collected, and accordingly, biological monitoring tests were designed for the studied hospitals. The data were analyzed using Fisher's exact test. Results: In this study, from 9 active hospitals in Qom Province, only 3 hospitals were equipped with waste treatment system. In hospital A, growth of Bacillus stearothermophilus spore were observed in 6.25% of the samples, while no microbial growth was recorded in hospital B. The initial investment to buy the machine in hospital A was about four times than that of hospital B. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that treatment device of hospital B is more appropriate compared to the devices of hospital A due to complete destruction of spores, lower cost (for purchase), and maintenance.