Journal of School of Public Health and

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Background and Aim: Nowadays selecting an appropriate technology for storing and disposal of health care wastes is a difficult task. For example, selecting an optimum technology for storing and disposal of hospital wastes is a complex multi-criteria decision-making process, which requires consideration of qualitative and quantitative factors and criteria. This paper presents a new decision-making model for selecting a better method in the management of health care wastes in the City of Tehran.

Materials and Methods: So far selection of technologies for health care wastes storing has been based on inaccurate information or uncertain data, and linguistic variables have been used by decision-makers (experts) to assess the ranks, criteria and options described.In this study a combinational multi-criteria decision-making model has been used which includes the fuzzy analytic network process technique and the fuzzy MULTIMOORA method. This model uses the fuzzy analytic network process to get the related with criteria and sub-criteria of better health care wastes storage technology and uses MULTI MOORA method for evaluation of five available technologies based on the above-mentioned criteria.

Results:  Analysis of the data showed that the "environmental" and "technical" criteria were the most important criteria for selection of the best technology, while for storing health care wastes "hydroclave" is the most appropriate technology in the City of Tehran.

Conclusion: The proposed framework for assessing health care wastes technologies for storing hospital wastes is effective, and the hydroclave technology is to be considered as the best solution and the most suitable option from the environmental, public health and technical perspectives in the City of Tehran.

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Background and Aim: Medication is a very important part of care and therapeutic services in health service delivery units. Therefore, medication errors in hospitals may cause serious problems in patient care and, even, death. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the type of medication errors reported and patient safety standards in a public hospital in Tehran, Iran.
Materials and Methods: In this study, the establishment of safety standards in 30 departments of Rajaee Hospital in Tehran, Iran and its relation to quality reporting medication errors by the hospital medical staff during the period 1391-1395 were investigated. Data were collected using two separate checklists, namely, "The establishment of medication safety” using the model 6R" and "The quality of reporting medication errors" and analyzed using the SPSS software, the statistical tests being inferential statistical tests including chi-square, phi coefficient and Cramer’s V.                                                                                        
Results: The data showed that the drug safety standards were established as regards five of the six components in this hospital (the sixth was safe patient positioning). The patient safety establishment was statistically significantly associated with the type of medication errors reported in the hospitals.
Conclusion: Since the process of drug therapy is a common practice in nursing services in the cardiac intensive care units, increased knowledge of nurses about the causes of medication errors, in order to prevent and reduce the occurrence of these errors, is considered quite necessary. Recommendations were made to reduce medication errors in hospitals.