Sharma Vaibhav, Jamwal Anbesh, Agrawal Rajeev, Pratap Saurabh
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT BHU), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Waste Manag Res. 2025 Jun;43(6):828-849. doi: 10.1177/0734242X241285420. Epub 2024 Oct 1.
At present, both emerging and developed economies have faced the challenge of higher healthcare waste generation. Developed countries are using these technologies to manage healthcare waste and cope with the challenge. Emerging economies are still struggling to understand and implement digital technologies in healthcare waste management, posing a danger to partners handling toxic and hazardous waste. The proper handling of healthcare waste is essential for social and environmental sustainability. Digital technologies that drive digital transformation in the healthcare sector impact the traditional way of managing healthcare waste. Digital technologies include artificial intelligence, blockchain, the Internet of Things, sensors, data analytics and radio frequency identification. These technologies can potentially address vehicle route planning and scheduling problems, resource optimisation, real-time tracking and the visibility of healthcare waste management. Apart from economic and environmental concerns, the operational workforce also takes care of societal well-being and implements waste management strategies and policies. Past research has focused on integrating blockchain technology to enhance traceability and transparency in waste collection and disposal activities. However, the application and impact of these technologies for managing different operations of healthcare management with sustainability is a gap bridged by the present study. This study adopts a systematic literature review to identify research trends, applications and implications of digital transformation. It proposes a digital technology-driven framework for healthcare waste management for further research.
目前，新兴经济体和发达经济体都面临着医疗保健废弃物产生量增加的挑战。发达国家正在利用这些技术来管理医疗保健废弃物并应对这一挑战。新兴经济体仍在努力理解并在医疗保健废弃物管理中应用数字技术，这对处理有毒有害废弃物的合作伙伴构成了威胁。妥善处理医疗保健废弃物对于社会和环境的可持续发展至关重要。推动医疗保健领域数字转型的数字技术影响着医疗保健废弃物的传统管理方式。数字技术包括人工智能、区块链、物联网、传感器、数据分析和射频识别。这些技术有可能解决车辆路线规划和调度问题、资源优化、实时跟踪以及医疗保健废弃物管理的透明度问题。除了经济和环境方面的考虑，运营人员还关注社会福祉并实施废弃物管理战略和政策。过去的研究主要集中在整合区块链技术以提高废弃物收集和处置活动的可追溯性和透明度。然而，这些技术在以可持续性方式管理医疗保健管理的不同操作方面的应用和影响，正是本研究要填补的空白。本研究采用系统文献综述来确定数字转型的研究趋势、应用和影响。它提出了一个由数字技术驱动的医疗保健废弃物管理框架以供进一步研究。
