A systematic review of waste management practices in the healthcare sector

The healthcare sector is a large, complex sector with many facilities, services, and personnel. The waste generated from the healthcare sector makes up a considerable amount of total solid waste generated in many countries, requiring rigorous regulations and policies to deal with it. This paper conducts a systematic review of the literature published in Healthcare Waste Management (HCWM), highlighting the apparent themes and trends observed in the literature, as well as gaps and possible future directions. The methodology used for this systematic review follows the PRISMA guidelines, including literature search, screening, bibliometric analysis, and content analysis. The dataset for this study comprises peer-reviewed papers on healthcare waste management published between 2019 and 2023, resulting in a total of 100 papers after screening and excluding irrelevant ones. The bibliometric analysis reveals that the most used keywords include healthcare practices, COVID-19 impact, and staff knowledge; indicating those may be highly researched themes. Additionally, the content analysis conducted validates the findings of the bibliometric analysis and reveals other trends gaining interest among researchers; those trends included sustainability, technological innovations, and circular economy. The gaps in literature are identified as well, including a lack of waste management policies for pharmaceutical waste and for waste generated from home patients. This paper adds to the body of art by reviewing the available literature using a systematic approach, ensuring relevant themes are highlighted and discussed to further advance research in the field of HCWM. • Systematically reviews healthcare waste management (HCWM) using quantitative and qualitative analyses. • Identifies key HCWM challenges, including COVID-19's impact on waste generation. • Explores innovative HCWM solutions, focusing on circular economy and sustainability. • Highlights policy gaps in pharmaceutical waste management and treatment methods. • Proposes actionable strategies for improving HCWM in diverse global contexts.