The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Hospital Waste Management: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Any used solid, liquid, or gaseous substance will be immediately discarded. Dumped substance waste is generated in various places, including hospitals. The recent problem faced by hospitals is the outbreak of the COVID-19, a novel form of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) that has resulted in a marked escalation in the generation of medical waste. The hospital management system covers hospital waste management. This management allows the hospital to monitor the amount and types of produced waste, thereby minimizing the harmful effects of waste. However, in this area, systematic analytical mapping studies still have numerous research limitations. This study aimed to provide a detailed analysis of the generated additional COVID-19 hospital waste and its impact on the environment and public health. Accordingly, this study applied the qualitative method with a literature study approach. The hospital waste management articles identified from 2020-2022 amounted to 920 publication articles indexed by Scopus, indicating that hospital waste management studies have increased in recent years. The study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic caused an alarming surge in medical waste, posing a significant threat to the environment. This situation provides an opportunity to enhance healthcare waste (HCW) management systems in a manner that is both ecologically sound and secure.