Knowledge attitude and practices of biomedical waste management among medical and nursing students in a teaching hospital of J & K, India

Abstract

Biomedical waste (BMW) management means to reduce waste generated from healthcare facilities and effectively segregate, collect, transport and dispose it in such a way that it is no more hazardous to HCW (healthcare workers), community or the environment. Lack of awareness and inadequate knowledge about BMW management can have serious consequences. To assess and compare the Knowledge, attitude, practices (KAP) of BMW management among medical and nursing students. A cross sectional study was don e at a tertiary care teaching hospital among medical and nursing students. A self administered, predesigned, pretested questionnaire was given to140 participants and data analyzed by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21. Majority (80%) of the medical students were aware of the BMW rules whereas only 40% of the nursing students were aware of these rules. There was a statistically significant difference in the knowledge about various aspects of BMW management between the two groups of students. The students had an overall positive attitude towards BMW management but the difference was not significant between the groups. Practices of students regarding BMW management were relatively poor. BMW management rules should be strictly implemented at all levels to convert knowledge into good practises. Appropriate training programs should be designed for the undergraduate medical and nursing students focussing on BMW management practises.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Regarding Biomedical Waste Management as Per 2019 Rules among Nursing Students

“…[7] The practices among nursing students regarding biomedical waste management were excellent which was in contrast with studies that showed poor pattern of practices among nurses and nursing students. [10,16] Other studies conducted among nurses showed good level of practice among nurses which was in line with the present study. [7,11,13,17] In our study, about 40% of nursing students reported unsafe practices of recapping used needles which may expose them to needle stick injury.…”

“…[4,18] Nursing students had an excellent attitude regarding biomedical waste management which is comparable to studies among nursing students. [5,10] Studies conducted among nurses and health care workers also showed positive attitude [11,15,17] while negative attitude was also shown Vol.11; Issue: 9; September 2021 among nurses. [3] A study reported poor attitude among resident doctors regarding biomedical waste management in comparison to nursing staff.…”

“…[3,4] Another study showed better biomedical waste management practices among medical students than nursing students. [10] Since biomedical waste management is part of the nursing curriculum, the findings of the study are staggering for nurse educators. It is a need of the hour for nursing students to be abreast with recent amendments in rules and policies regarding biomedical waste management as they will be future health care providers.…”

“…[9] Developed countries have reported increased awareness while developing counties such as India, have reported poor knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding biomedical waste management among health care workers. [7,[10][11][12] It is not only legal but also social responsibility of every health care professional to ensure proper disposal of health care generated waste on their part. Some research evidence suggests that knowledge regarding biomedical waste management among students is not appropriate.…”

İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği Dersini Alan Hemşirelik ve Ebelik Öğrencilerinin Tıbbi Atık Yönetimine İlişkin Bilgi Düzeylerinin Belirlenmesi

“…Konu ile ilgili bazı araştırma sonuçları çalışmamızla benzerlik gösterirken 22,25 ; bazı araştırmalarda öğrencilerin atık torbalarına ilişkin bilgi düzeyinin yetersiz olduğu görülmektedir. 26,27 Fauzi ve Dahari (2019) tarafından hemşirelik öğrencilerinin biyomedikal atık yönetimine yönelik bilgi, tutum ve uygulamalarını değerlendirmek amacıyla yapılan araştırmada öğrencilerin büyük çoğunluğunun atık torbaları ile ilgili bilgi düzeyinin yeterli olduğu saptanmıştır. 22 Abou Hashish ve arkadaşları (2020) tarafından yapılan araştırmada ise katılımcıların atık torbalarının renklerini bilme düzeyinin yetersiz olduğu bulunmuştur.…”