Estimation of Medical Waste Products and Associated Factors in the Kingdom of Bahrain
| Author | Al-Omran, Khadija | |
|---|---|---|
| metadata.dc.contributor.department | "University of Bahrain, College of Science Environmental and Sustainable Development program | |
| metadata.dc.date.accessioned | 2026-09-20T15:47:50Z | |
| Publication date | 2024 | |
| Degree level | Master | |
| Abstract | Abstract : As a global concern, medical waste (MW) links public health and the environment. The main aim of this dissertation is to estimate the MW generation and identify the associated factors in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Firstly, two MW issues were assessed, the increasing quantities of MW and its management, using Integrated Environmental Assessment methodology, including the DPSIR framework, analysis of existing policies, and the outlook. Consequently, related policies for the last two decades (2001-2021) were collected and analyzed. It was found that most of the existing policies address the impact of the MW issues but are lacking in tackling the drivers and pressures. To overcome MW issues, reforming regulations is recommended to reduce and manage MW efficiently to focus more on drivers and pressures causing an elevation in MW issues. The MW generated during the COVID-19 pandemic from different sources in Bahrain and other selected GCC countries were estimated using data from different public domains. In Bahrain, MW was estimated as 3,547.974 kg/day (facemasks), 1,894 kg/day (PPEs by the selected health facilities), 16,633.505 kg (vaccination) and 53,551.240 kg (PCR-tests) until May 11, 2021. The calculated MW in GCC was 110,797,952 kg/day (facemasks), 2,554,812 kg (vaccination), and 2,595,772 kg (PCR-tests) until March 2022. The factors associated with COVID-19 MW generation from February 2020 to May 2022 were explored using SEM. Amounts of COVID-19 waste from Bahrain Waste Treatment Company were used in addition to data from the public domains. The results revealed that the vaccination and infected cases are statistically significant predictors for waste generation during the pandemic. Moreover, the stringency index factor was found to be a significant moderator between the COVID- 19 waste and the two predictors. The MW generation rate was determined in governmental and private hospitals as 2.610 and 1.040 kg/occupied-bed/day, respectively. Machine learning was implemented to predict MW generation and significant features in one governmental and one private hospital. Two monthly datasets obtained from the hospitals were utilized. The ensemble voting regressor was determined as the best model for both datasets. The two proposed models have superior accuracy. For the governmental hospital, the significant features were the number of inpatients, population, surgeries, and outpatients, in descending order of importance. While in the private hospital, the number of inpatients, deliveries, surgeries, outpatients, population and personal income. The psychological factors that drive health workers to engage in the segregation of MW were examined using survey data. An integrated model that combines the Norm Activation Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior was employed and analyzed by the PLS-SEM method, and eleven hypotheses were formulated and tested. The model illuminates insight into motivations for MW segregation intention, explaining 70% of the total variance. The findings indicate that personal norms and perceived behavioral control significantly influence MW segregation intentions. | |
| metadata.dc.identifier.other | Drupal node 3404 | |
| metadata.dc.identifier.other | https://digitalrepository.uob.edu.bh/en/dar/estimation-medical-waste-products-and-associated-factors-kingdom-bahrain | |
| metadata.dc.identifier.uri | http://165.227.56.122/handle/123456789/6643 | |
| Language | en | |
| Link | https://digitalrepository.uob.edu.bh/en/_flysystem/fedora/2025-05/2025_estimation_of_medical_waste_products_and_associated_factors_in_the_kingdom_of_bahrain.pdf | |
| Title | Estimation of Medical Waste Products and Associated Factors in the Kingdom of Bahrain | |
| Type | Master's Thesis | |
| College | College of Science | |
| Department | Environment and Sustainable Development Program |
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