PERCEPTION OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN THE METROPOLITAN REGION OF BELÉM – PARÁ, REGARDING HOSPITAL WASTE MANAGEMENT DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC - 1ST WAVE

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the perception of healthcare professionals regarding hospital waste management in the metropolitan region of Belém with emphasis on the covid-19 pandemic (1st wave). For data collection, 43 questionnaires were applied in online format directed to different professionals who work in public and private hospitals in the Metropolitan Region of Belém. It is a quantitative-qualitative semi-structured research, containing 16 closed questions and 1 open question, totaling 17 questions. It is an exploratory and descriptive study. For the application of descriptive statistics the software Rstudio version 4.3 was used. According to the results, 68.3% of the healthcare professionals reported that there was an increase in hospital waste generated because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It can be concluded that there was an increase in hospital waste during the pandemic. However, most of the healthcare workers had no knowledge about the implementation and application of management programs aimed at hospital waste (HW), as well as of environmental education activities directed at HW. The HR management of the metropolitan region of Belém needs improvements in its execution. Thus, the concern and perception of health professionals regarding the appropriate measures to mitigate the risks of this waste is highlighted.