The formation and regulation of the staff training as a component of the pharmaceutical waste management system in healthcare institutions of Ukraine

Abstract

The problem of hazardous waste management is one of the most urgent and complex environmental and legal areas. The effectiveness of the pharmaceutical waste management system (PhWMS), which implies proper training of the personnel and their active involvement in the implementation of environmentally friendly practices, is of particular importance in the functioning of healthcare institutions (HI).

Aim. To scientifically substantiate approaches to the development and regulatory framework for training the HI staff as a component of the PhWMS.

Materials and methods. The research materials were the provisions of the current Ukrainian legislation in the field of waste management and healthcare, official analytical and statistical data, scientific publications on the problems of greening the activities of HI, as well as internal regulations of medical institutions regarding the management of pharmaceutical waste. The content analysis, analytical and comparative, system, logical and graphic research methods were applied. The process model of the personnel training organization and its decomposition into subprocesses was reproduced using the Microsoft Visio software product.

Results and discussion. The scope of work under the project to implement the PhWMS in HI includes the definition of processes necessary for its operation and continuous improvement, as well as the establishment of their interrelationships and interactions; the regulation and documentation of the system; the development of criteria and methods for evaluating its effectiveness; the organization and conduct of internal audits of the environmental management system; the formation of mechanisms for systematically identifying the causes of nonconformities and implementing corrective and preventive actions (CAPA). Taking into account the effectiveness of such a system depends on the level of the staff training and the development of the environmental culture among HI employees, the organization of the systematic staff training as a component of the PhWMS implementation is considered. The training program for the PhWMS identifies the categories of employees who require enhanced environmental awareness, the topics of the training sessions, the responsible specialists, as well as the terms and duration of the sessions. The details of each planned event are specified in training plans, which indicate the location and time of the sessions, their duration, the names of teachers, references to the methodological materials used, as well as the conditions and tools for assessing the acquired knowledge and developed skills. Developed in accordance with the requirements and international quality standards of the ISO, the process model for training the HI staff on PhWMS issues is an integrated set of interrelated organizational and managerial subprocesses.

Conclusions. The need to ensure a systematic training process for the HI personnel has been substantiated. In particular it concerns employees whose activities may have a significant impact on the environment; persons responsible for the functioning of the PhWMS; specialists who determine and evaluate environmental aspects or ensure compliance with the mandatory requirements of legal compliance; employees involved in achieving environmental goals; emergency response personnel; as well as persons responsible for assessing compliance with the requirements of the environmental legislation and internal regulations of the PhWMS. The process model of training of the HI staff on pharmaceutical waste management issues has been proposed. It is reproduced in accordance with the ISO international quality standards. Its implementation in the activities of various HI may involve adjusting individual stages of training and supplementing the content of sub-processes, taking into account the peculiarities of the organizational structure, activity profile and level of the staff training.