Awareness of Biomedical Waste Management among Health Care Personnel in Bangalore, Karnataka

In the present scenario the management of biomedical waste is becoming a major problem in most of the countries. The biomedical waste produced in the course of healthcare activities carries a higher potential for infection and injury than any other type of waste. Improper management of these wastes poses a risk for health and environment.

To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of doctors, laboratory technicians, nurses and class IV staff regarding biomedical waste management.

This was a descriptive observational hospital based cross sectional study.

The study was carried out in a private laboratory and a teriary care centre, Bangalore. The study was conducted over a period of 6 months. A total of 140 subjects were included in the study, which comprises of 30 doctors, 30 nurses, 60 lab technicians and 20 class IV employees.

Doctors, laboratory technicians and nurses had better knowledge on biomedical waste management than class IV staff. Knowledge on disposal of BMW was good in technicians and nurses compared to doctors. Regarding practices related to BMW management, found to be better in doctors and laboratory technicians compared to nurses and poor in class IV staff However, injury reporting was low across all the classes of health care personnel.

To improve overall knowledge and practice related to BMW management need for proper training of health care workers (both technical and non technical staff) and strict implementation of BMW management rules is required.