Attitudes to biomedical waste management
The respondents’ awareness on waste management being conducted in the hospital was 100%.
Abstract
Context: Awareness of safe waste management practices among the health care community is crucial. Objective: To assess the knowledge and attitude of nurses and paramedical staff towards biomedical waste management. Materials and methods: A total of 819 respondents were interviewed in ratio of: nurses (514); operating theatre (OT) technicians (63); laboratory technicians (76); and housekeeping staff (166). The tool used was a semi-structured questionnaire with questions on awareness and attitude towards biomedical waste management. Statistical analysis: SPSS version 11.5 was used, Chi-square test was carried out, and p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The respondents’ awareness on waste management being conducted in the hospital was 100%. This response was similar in terms of awareness of facilities present in hospital for segregation and removal of waste, but only 88% of housekeeping staff knew about it, compared with 100% in the other three groups. When asked whether safe management of health ca...