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A Multi-Agent System for the Optimization of Medical Waste Management

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Artificial Intelligence and Industrial Applications (A2IA 2023)

Abstract

Medical Waste Management (MWM) is one of the most complex processes in any healthcare structure. This complexity was revealed during the Covid-19 crisis, as Medical Waste (MW) can be a vector of virus transmission if the process is not properly controlled. This fact calls into question the current models of MWM, especially in developing countries where in the majority of cases the MWM is operated in a hazardous manner, representing a real danger for patients, hospital staff, the population and especially for the environment. The objective of this paper is to optimize the medical waste management process. To do this, we will first analyze the current MWM model in a Moroccan public hospital and show its shortcomings. Second, we propose a model for MWM that meets the challenges of sustainable development and the circular economy, especially in terms of preserving the environment and reducing hospital costs. The proposed model is scrupulously described through a multi-agent approach, one of the successful paradigms for managing complex systems, in order to model and eventually automate the process.

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Correspondence to Ahmed Chtioui .

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Chtioui, A., Bouhaddou, I., Benabdella, A.C., Benghabrit, A. (2023). A Multi-Agent System for the Optimization of Medical Waste Management. In: Masrour, T., Ramchoun, H., Hajji, T., Hosni, M. (eds) Artificial Intelligence and Industrial Applications. A2IA 2023. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 772. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43520-1_12

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