Response to: Biomedical Solid Waste Management System in Jimma Medical Center, Jimma Town, South Western Ethiopia [Letter]

Dear editor

We were very impressed with the article entitled “Biomedical Solid Waste Management System in Jimma Medical Center, Jimma Town, South Western Ethiopia”. The results of this research have advantages, namely: 1) Conducted at the right time, during the Covid-19 pandemic, a critical period in waste management, 2) Analyze factors affecting medical waste management, so as to provide in-depth policy recommendations, 3) Provide decision-making recommendations to increase the need for training and personal protective equipment.¹

However, we have also discovered several limitations that need to be corrected in the future, namely: 1) Data collection using self-filled questionnaires by respondents, causing bias in data collection and interpretation of results (tend to give answers that are considered more desirable), 2) Only looked at two factors related to health waste management (training and personal protective equipment), whereas there are other influencing factors, such as: organizational policies and work culture, 3) No direct observation was done and only relied on self-reporting from respondents, there is a possibility of bias, improper perception, and affecting the validity and reliability of the data.

To obtain better results, we recommend that further research be carried out by 1) Use more objective data collection methods, such as direct observation or physical measurements, to avoid bias in self-reporting. This will increase the validity and accuracy of the data collected, 2) Adding other factors that influence waste management, such as organizational policies, work culture and social factors,² 3) Conducting research with a qualitative approach to gain a deeper understanding of the perceptions, attitudes, and practices of health waste management,³ 4) Future research can be conducted with a focus on program evaluation/intervention, so that effective strategies in waste management in health facilities can be identified.