Prioritization of Different Options for Management of Hospital Wastes in Tehran, Iran, Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

Due to increasing environmental problems caused by the waste produced by health care centers in recent years, the determination of the optimal method of hospital waste management with the consideration of the numerous conflicting criteria is of grave importance. This study aimed to evaluate different options for hospital waste management in Tehran, Iran, and prioritize them using multi-criteria decision analysis.
This descriptive survey was conducted in 2015. The study participants consisted of 46 specialists in this regard. The subjects were selected using purposive sampling method. A questionnaire was used to collect data. The face validity of the questionnaire was approved by experts and its reliability was 0.00256 and was approved based on the incompatibility rate of less than 1.0. Statistical analysis was conducted using Excel and Lingo software.
Findings: In this study, 12 different criteria of prioritization of waste disposal methods were obtained. The 3 criteria of treatment effectiveness, air residuals, environmental impacts, and public acceptance obstacles had the most weight and the 3 criteria of cost, odor, and release with health effects had the least weight. Finally, based on the above criteria, different methods of hospital waste disposal were, respectively, prioritized as steam sterilization (autoclave), incineration, landfill disposal, chemical disinfection, irradiation, and microwave.
The majority of the participants preferred methods that have minimum effects on the environment like autoclave, steam sterilization, and burial after neutralization. However, the financial aspects of hospital waste disposal should also be considered.