As surgical facilities prepare for possible Ebola patients, a group of healthcare organizations has released 5 recommendations on the correct way to handle Ebola-contaminated biohazardous medical waste.

• Health care organizations should not circumvent established protocols for handling biohazardous medical waste.
• Biohazardous medical waste should not be brought into clean areas where processing reusable medical devices is performed.
• Biohazardous medical waste should not be inactivated in a sterilizer that is used for processing reusable medical devices.
• Sterilizers used to inactivate biohazardous medical waste should be designed and validated for that particular purpose.
• Organizations should work with infection preventionists and keep abreast of evolving professional and regulatory guidelines for handling biohazardous medical waste.

The 5 guidelines were drafted and released by IAHCSMM, AAMI, AORN, APIC and AST. In a statement, the organizations note that as the Ebola outbreak changes and develops, healthcare facilities should remain up-to-date on the latest guidelines and recommendations.

"This is an evolving issue and healthcare professionals should review current research and incorporate new evidence into practice to mitigate occupational and patient risk associated with handling biohazardous medical waste," reads the statement.

Kendal Gapinski