comparing and prioritizing different methods of collection and decontamination of waste in decentralized healthcare centers

Background: one of the most critical problems in the safe management of healthcare wastes isusing different methods in decentralized centers in iran. this study aimed to compare and prioritizedifferent methods of collection and decontamination of healthcare waste in decentralized healthcenters in iran.methods: in this descriptive-analytical research, we studied various methods of collecting anddecontaminating the healthcare waste of decentralized healthcare centers in iran in terms ofadministrative, health, economic and environmental. also, the opinions and the preferences ofexperts for selecting each method were collected and analyzed.results: according to environmental health experts, health issues had the highest priority fordecontamination of waste from decentralized health centers. waste collection by special vehicleswith the help of the private sector and transfer to centralized disinfection centers is the bestmethod of collecting waste (33%). also, decontamination by autoclave was the most desirablemethod (56%) of decontamination. according to the experts’ opinions, landfilling is the mostharmful, and autoclave/hydroclave is the least harmful method to the climate and soil. basedon the environmental health experts, the health aspect was the most important priority in wastemanagement of decentralized healthcare centers (54%).conclusion: the most appropriate way to decontaminate this type of waste is autoclaving aftercollection at a centralized location. it is suggested that further studies be conducted on moderncollection and disinfection systems along with localization and determination of workplacehealth policies.