Abstract

VALVERDE CHAVES, Grettel  and  ECHANDI CRUZ, Laureano. Diagnóstico del manejo de los desechos en los laboratorios clínicos de la Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social. Rev. costarric. salud pública [online]. 1998, vol.7, n.12, pp.45-52. ISSN 1409-1429.

A 1997 Document on budgetary Policies and Standars issued by Costa Rica’s Government-operated Soocialized Health Care System (CCSS) requires the State Health Clinics to comply with the stipulations included in the Enviroment Organic Law. Because the CCSS has focused its interest on achieving appropiate waste mangement, this study was conducted in order to find out the clinical laboratories perception and kowledge of the problem, types of waste, personnel training, and their employees hygiene and on-the-job safety. A survey given to a statistically significant group of laboratories, resulted in the following data: 90% don’t know the Environment Organic Law. 75% think they are not following an appropiate waste mangement procedure. 72% feel they lack adequately trained personnel. 78% of the lab directors stated not to know of a manual which will explain how to adequately manage wastes. 92% said that personnel handling waste do not have special gloves to do their job. 73.5% do not recycle paper. 90% (or more) do not recycle glass, cardboard or plastics. 80% utilize steam sterilezers to process both re-useable materials and wastes. 85.7% do not decontaminate in-lab disposal units. 91.7% do not give treatment to urinary waste 72.6% do not give treatment to feces. 36.1% do not give treatment of processed blood samples.

Keywords : Waste Management in the clinical laboratories.