A clinic provides important healthcare services to walk-in patients. While they do not provide the full range of healthcare services that a large hospital facility does, they do still generate substantial medical waste when treating many patients on an average day. But what happens to this waste? Where does it go? This is where a medical waste disposal company comes in. Here is how medical waste companies can assist a clinic in their work.
Avoiding Cuts from Sharp Objects
Sharp objects like needles, scissors, and scalpels are sometimes used in the course of treating a patient in a clinic. Some medical supplies are single-use and disposable. This includes syringes and also needles especially. Fortunately, medical waste disposal companies usually provide secure boxes to lock away sharp objects until they can be collected. This is done separately from other, non-sharp items. When sharp objects are removed responsibly from treatment areas, it avoids a patient touching one and cutting themselves (or the nurse or doctor too).
Reduce the Risk of Injection
When treating patients and handling follow-ups too, it often involves cleaning wounds, drying them, and applying bandages. Follow-ups may include removing a dressing and inspecting the area to see if it’s healing properly or if it has developed an infection under the surface. The doctor or nurse will need to re-treat it where necessary, and add a fresh bandage.
Providing the above treatment creates medical supplies that have the patient’s skin cells, sometimes blood, or other bodily fluids on them. These need to be stored and disposed of safely without the risk of infection to others. Using red medical waste bags as temporary storage and then arranging for a third party to collect these for disposal reduces the various risk factors for medical staff and patients alike.
Clinic employees need not worry about potential infection or getting cut by a sharp object like a used needle. When using a medical waste company to provide deposit and collection services, it provides peace of mind for staff. They can then attend to their patients and not be distracted by other troubles.
