Ms. Bern Squires1
1Albury Wodonga Health, Wodonga, Australia
Biography:
Bern Squires is an Infection Prevention Consultant. She is the Director of Infection Prevention and surveillance at Albury Wodonga Health and has had an exciting career in public and private organizations in Australia and the UK/Europe. Her passion for innovative leadership to enhance a quality improvement culture has developed over many years in Clinical and Related Waste, Perioperative, and infection Prevention.
Abstract:
Healthcare organisations are regulated to ensure the safe disposal and management of unused and out of date medications but there are challenges in meeting compliance. There is a high risk of unauthorised access of medications by staff or patients that can lead to unacceptable consequences such as overdose and death. Further concerns and issues include compliant storage, transportation and destruction of pharmaceutical waste. Currently in Australia there is both a gap in knowledge by clinicians and a gap in effective point-of-use solutions to address these challenges.
Our trial of a new disposal system aims to reduce incorrect disposal of pharmaceutical waste, meet transport and environmental compliance, and eliminates unauthorised access to medications from waste collectors. Additional benefits may include a reduction in operating costs.
A hospital-wide introduction of the disposal system was introduced in June 2024. This activated-carbon solution will be trialled across two hospital sites. A pre and post audit of 25 sharp’s collectors was completed to calculate the volume of pharmaceutical waste. The audit assesses the preliminary change in clinician behaviour and associated impact on reduction of non-compliant disposal of medications.
This is an important relevant and current quality improvement project, and which may lead to further research to support innovation that could change the way health services manage pharmaceutical waste. This presentation will deliver an overview of the project results, issues and outcomes, whilst educating the audience in the complexity of pharmaceutical waste management.