Bio-Medical Waste Management at an Academic Hospital: Knowledge and Practice of Hospital Staff

Large volumes of wastes are generated by hospitals as a by-product of variety of health services and procedures. These may be infectious or non-infectious. Hospital staff is constantly exposed to these wastes and is at risk of getting fatal diseases as an occupational hazard. It is not only a legal necessity but also a social responsibility to effectively manage bio-medical waste.

To determine the awareness of hospital staff regarding hospital waste management policy and practices (2016). 2. To relate the practices of hospital waste management to the level of knowledge. 3. To suggest possible remedial measures (if required).

The present study was a cross-sectional study, carried out in Adesh Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), Mohri (Dist. Kurukshetra). A total of 296 healthcare professionals consented for the interview (56.9% response rate) which included 80 doctors, 94 nurses, 72 lab technicians and 50 sanitary staff working in AMCH, Mohri (Dist. Kurukshetra), who gave informed consent for their willingness to participate in the study. A self-designed questionnaire, inclusive of items related to socio-demographic data, knowledge and practice of bio-medical waste management (as per 2016 bio-medical waste management guidelines) was used for data collection. The data collected was subjected to statistical analysis using descriptive statistical methods.

Majority of healthcare professionals were `male’ i.e. 175 (59%). Most of the healthcare professionals were in the age group 30–40 years i.e. 115 (39%). Among the doctors most were postgraduate i.e. 68 (85%). Majority of nurses were graduate i.e. 72 (77%). Most of the lab technicians had a diploma i.e. 51 (71%) and majority of sanitary staff were educated below matric i.e. 43 (86%). As regards length of service, most of the doctors had more than 10 years of experience i.e. 43 (54%), majority of nurses had 3–5 years of experience i.e. 36 (38%). Among the lab technicians most had length of service of 5–10 years i.e. 41(57%) and majority of the sanitary staff had length of service more than 10 years i.e. 29 (57%). Most of the hospital staff had knowledge regading BMWM. Majority of hospital staff i.e. 274 (93%) practice waste segregation into different categories. Most of them i.e. 256 (87%) practice colour coding of waste and 215 (73%) use bio-hazard symbol for labelling. Only 136 (46%) of hospital staff maintain waste disposal register.

Doctors and nurses have good knowledge and practice of BMW but lab technicians and sanitary staff need regular sensitization.