48 WASTES IN HEALTH CARE: IS IT A BIG PROBLEM? Edwin SOSTHENES(1) Yasemin AKBULUT(2) 1 MSc candidate, edwinacademics@gmail.com 2 Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ankara University, akbulut@health.ankara.edu.tr, Ankara/Turkey A R T I C L E I N F O Key words: Cost, efficiency, health policy, management. Abstract The Health sector faces an increasing wastes problem worldwide; unfortunately the problem has attracted much attention only in the United States of America and lesser to other countries. A significant amount of resources (such as financial, human) have been lost due to this problem. The aims of the study are to determine the causes of the hospital waste, evaluate its consequences, present measures to reduce them also arise awareness and attention to this issues. In this way, it can be ensured that the waste of health care services comes to the agenda in other countries, including Turkey. INTRODUCTION Throughout the world, health care costs are getting higher (Bentley et al., 2008:629). There is great and immediate chance to reduce healthcare costs through the elimination of waste. Currently, studies shows that wastes account for one-third of healthcare expenditures (Berwick and Hackbarth, 2012:1513-15). Spending on services that lack evidence of producing better health outcomes compared to less- expensive alternatives; inefficiencies in the provision of health care goods and services; and costs incurred while treating avoidable medical injuries, such as preventable infections in hospitals, fraud and abuse consist of wastes (Lallemand, 2012). The aims of the study are to determine causes of the hospital waste, evaluate its consequences, present measures to reduce them also arise awareness and attention to this issues. According to the aim, first part of study we discuss and define wastes in healthcare systems, the second part focuses on causes and consequences of waste in hospitals, third part highlight the issues to put into consideration and the last part focuses on the measures applied to combat wastes. WASTES IN THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM Waste in healthcare system can be defined as healthcare services that do not add value or advance patient outcomes. Ethically, health professionals are obligated to deliver the best care possible to patients along with their needy families. Simultaneously, they must be good stewards of limited resources for future health needs (Martin, 2014). Wastes comprises of a range of definitions for hospitals and health systems, including wasted time, finances, steps and human potential, to name a few. In the process of performing their activities healthcare workers deal with many issues in hospitals and healthcare institutions. Below, the eight types of waste in healthcare are defined the Beckers Hospital Review (Gamble, 2013);