Knowledge, attitude, and practices toward biomedical waste management among healthcare workers

Abstract

Biomedical waste (BMW) refers to any solid or liquid waste, including its packaging and by-products, generated during the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of humans or animals. Poor and inappropriate management of healthcare waste poses significant health risks and can cause substantial environmental damage. Given the enduring importance of BMW management, this study aims to assess healthcare workers’ (HCWs) knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding BMW management (BMWM) at various levels of hospitals and diagnostic services. This cross-sectional study included 163 participants and was carried out from April 2024 to June 2024 in the Nalgonda and Warangal districts of Telangana state, India. The findings revealed that a significant proportion of doctors (87.7%) and nurses (80%) demonstrated good to excellent knowledge of BMWM, whereas only 66.6% of other HCWs reached similar levels. A strong positive attitude toward BMWM was observed among 96.3% of participants. In terms of practices, 63.4% of doctors, 72% of nurses, and 76.3% of other HCWs exhibited excellent adherence to BMWM practices. The study also found knowledge regarding BMWM disparities based on workplace location. These findings provide critical insights for hospital executives, policymakers, and public health professionals to devise specialized training and awareness schemes to strengthen BMWM practices.

Keywords

Biomedical waste management / Healthcare workers / Knowledge / Attitude and practices

Funding

None.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

References

[1] Arora R, Aggarwal P. Biomedical waste management: An emerging concern in COVID-19 pandemic. Indian J Public Health. 2021; 65(6):65-67. doi: 10.4103/ijph.ijph_1242_21

[2] Basavaraj TJ, Shashibhushan BL, Sreedevi A. To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices in biomedical waste management among health care workers in dedicated COVID hospital in Bangalore. Egypt J Intern Med. 2021; 33:37. doi: 10.1186/s43162-021-00045-8

[3] Datta P, Mohi G, Chander J. Biomedical waste management in India: Critical appraisal. J Lab Physicians. 2018; 10(1):6-14. doi: 10.4103/jlp.jlp_89_17

[4] Central Pollution Control Board. Bio-Medical Waste Rules. Available from: https://cpcb.nic.in/bio-medical-waste-rules [Last accessed on 2024 Jun 21].

[5] Central Pollution Control Board. Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016; 2016. Available from: from:https://cpcb.nic.in/uploads/projects/bio-medical-waste/bio-medical_waste_management_rules_2016.pdf [Last accessed on 2024 Jun 21].

[6] Central Pollution Control Board. Annual Report on Biomedical Waste Management for the Year 2022 as per Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016. New Delhi: Central Pollution Control Board; 2022.

[7] Omo QG, Hassan NE. Biomedical waste management and their effects on the environment: A review. World J Adv Eng Technol Sci. 2024; 11(1):86-95. doi: 10.30574/wjaets.2024.11.1.0020

[8] Bhardwaj R. Reduction of Both Health and Environmental Risk from the Med-Waste Technology of COVID-19. In: 2023 3rd Asian Conference on Innovation in Technology (ASIANCON). IEEE; 2023. p. 1-7. doi: 10.1109/asiancon58793.2023.10270178

[9] Kim V, Saunders G, Tahir M. A review of current and novel methods of medical waste management. J Student Res. 2022; 11(4):1-12. doi: 10.47611/jsrhs.v11i4.3477

[10] Ghali H, Cheikh AB, Bhiri S, et al. Health and environmental impact of hospital wastes: Systematic review. Dubai Med J. 2023; 6(2):103-116. doi: 10.1159/000529432

[11] Jang YC. Infectious/medical/hospital waste: General characteristics. In: Solid Waste Management and Recycling. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 2024. p. 805-810. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-52272-6.00508-0

[12] Singh N, Shreshtha I, Nigam VK. Integrated biomedical waste degradation and detoxification. In: Sharma YC,editor. Integrated Environmental Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Sustainable Development. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 2022. p. 481-508.

[13] Seilkassymova R, Nurmukhankyzy D, Rzabay A, Baktykhozhaye Z, Nessipbayeva I. Environmental safety and legal regulation of medical waste management: International experience. J Environ Manag Tour. 2022; 13(7):1853-1860. doi: 10.14505/jemt.v13.7(63).01

[14] Kanyal D, Butola LK, Ambad R. Biomedical waste management in India-a review. J Forensic Med. 2021; 15(2):108-113. doi: 10.37506/ijfmt.v15i2.14285

[15] Sheth JK.Salient features of bio-medical waste management rules, 2016. Indian J Community Health. 2017; 29(1):5-9.

[16] Shah C. Biomedical waste management: A move towards green environment. Asia Pacific J Manag Entrepreneurship Res. 2012; 1(3):136-140.

[17] Iyengar V, Islam R. Biomedical, sharps and general waste disposal in India: Potential for the spread of contagious diseases and serious environmental contamination. Univ J Public Health. 2017; 5(5):236-242. doi: 10.13189/ujph.2017.050509

[18] Singh DK, Singh AK. An overview of the new legal regime of bio medical waste management in India. Asian J Multidimens Res (AJMR). 2018; 7(7):32-45.

[19] Babu BR, Parande AK, Rajalakshmi R, Suriyakala P, Volga M. Management of biomedical waste in India and other countries: A review. J Int Environ Appl Sci. 2009; 4(1):65-78.

[20] National Mission for Clean Ganga. Telangana - October 2022 to March 2023 MPR. Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India; 2023. Available from: https://nmcg.nic.in/writereaddata/fileupload/ngtmpr/51_telangana%20-%20october%202022%20to%20march%202023%20mpr.pdf [Last accessed on 2024 Jun 21].

[21] Palaneswamy S, Srikumar A, Kannan I, Rathinam TP. Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practices of biomedical waste management among health care workers in a tertiary care hospital, Chengalpattu, Tamilnadu, India. Int J Occup Saf Health. 2024; 14(1):124-133. doi: 10.3126/ijosh.v14i1.52697

[22] Manekar SS, Bakal RL, Jawarkar RD, Charde MS. Challenges and measures during management of mounting biomedical waste in COVID-19 pandemic: An Indian approach. Bull Natl Res Cent. 2022; 46(1):159. doi: 10.1186/s42269-022-00845-8

[23] Thirunavukkarasu A, Al-Hazmi AH, Dar UF, et al. Knowledge, attitude and practice towards bio-medical waste management among healthcare workers: A Northern Saudi study. PeerJ. 2022; 10:e13773. doi: 10.7717/peerj.13773

[24] Agarwal AK, Yadav A, Yadav C, Mahore R, Singh AP. A study of awareness about biomedical waste management among health care personnel. Asian J Manag. 2022; 13(1):31-34. doi: 10.52711/2321-5763.2022.00031

[25] Bagali SS, Gowrishankar BS, Bagali SS. A review on biomedical waste management. Waste Technol. 2021; 9(2):29-33. doi: 10.12962/j23386956.v9i2.10118

[26] Balamurugan SS, Priyadarsini SP, Justin R, Sonai RP, Rajeswari B. A descriptive study on knowledge regarding biomedical waste management among health care personnel in a tertiary care hospital. Natl J Res Community Med. 2014; 3(2):186-191.

[27] Bhandari K, Yadav R, Pradhan SR, Singh R, Kushwaha NK. Knowledge regarding biomedical waste management among nursing staffs of teaching hospital at Birgunj, Parsa, Nepal. Int J Adv Nurs Manag. 2024; 12(1):1-6. doi: 10.52711/2454-2652.2024.00001

[28] Mathur V, Dwivedi S, Hassan MA, Misra RP. Knowledge, attitude, and practices about biomedical waste management among healthcare personnel: A cross-sectional study. Indian J Community Med. 2011; 36(2):143-145. doi: 10.4103/0970-0218.84122

[29] Sindhu RK, Kaur H, Sharma K, Dora CP, Batiha GE. Green technologies for handling and management of biomedical waste. In: Green Technological Innovation for Sustainable Smart Societies: Post Pandemic Era. Berlin: Springer; 2021. p. 169-189. doi: 10.1007/978-981-16-2435-7_9

[30] Singh H, Rehman R, Bumb SS. Management of biomedical waste: A review. Int J Dent Med Res. 2014; 1(1):14-20.

[31] Soni L, Soni P, Soni A. Pre- and post-training study of awareness about biomedical waste management among healthcare personnel in medical college hospital in Western Rajasthan. IP Int J Med Microbiol Trop Dis. 2020; 6(3):175-178. doi: 10.18231/j.ijmmtd.2020.038

[32] Sonkar GK, Singh S, Sonkar SK. Biomedical Waste:Impact on Environment and Its Management in Health Care Facilities. In: Current Research Trends and Applications in Waste Management. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore; 2023. p. 139-159.

[33] Twinkle T, Mehta M, Jatesh JK. Safe hands, safe earth: Prioritizing security and sustainability in medical waste management. Adv Res. 2024; 25(4):10-18. doi: 10.9734/air/2024/v25i41090

[34] Dalui A, Banerjee S, Roy R. Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice about biomedical waste management among healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic in a health district of West Bengal. Indian J Public Health. 2021; 65(4):345-351. doi: 10.4103/ijph.ijph_1586_20

[35] Dutta R, Prashanth R, Parasuraman G, et al. Knowledge, attitude and practice of bio-medical waste management among private practitioners in Poonamallee taluk, Chennai. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2017; 4(8):2930. doi: 10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20173363

[36] Kapoor D, Nirola A, Kapoor V, Gambhir RS. Knowledge and awareness regarding biomedical waste management in dental teaching institutions in India: A systematic review. J Clin Exp Dent. 2014; 6(4):e419-e424. doi: 10.4317/jced.51644

[37] Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India. Doctors Manual for Environmental Clearance. Available from: https://moef.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/4.-doctorss-manual.pdf [Last accessed on 2024 Jun 21].