Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice in respect of Medical Waste Management among Healthcare Workers in Clinics

• Published in: Journal of environmental and public health Vol. 2020; no. 2020; pp. 1 - 12
• Main Authors: Akkajit, Pensiri, Assawadithalerd, Mongkolchai, Romin, Husna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 2020; Hindawi; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis; Attitudes; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dentists; Environmental impact; Environmental risk; Female; Garbage collection; Hazardous waste management industry; Health aspects; Health care; Health facilities; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Personnel - statistics & numerical data; Health risks; Hospitals; Humans; Infections; Knowledge; Laboratories; Male; Medical personnel; Medical Waste Disposal - methods; Medical Waste Disposal - statistics & numerical data; Medical wastes; Municipal solid waste; Physicians; Pollution; Public health; Questionnaires; Random sampling; Refuse and refuse disposal; Risk reduction; Statistical analysis; Statistical sampling; Thailand; Transportation services; Variance analysis; Waste disposal; Waste management; Young Adult; Thailand; India; Phuket Thailand
• ISSN: 1687-9805; 1687-9813
• DOI: 10.1155/2020/8745472

Medical waste represents a significant health risk and an environmental pollution concern due to its hazardous characteristics. The knowledge and practice of healthcare personnel in respect of the disposal of medical waste is essential to perform effective medical waste management. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to medical waste management among healthcare workers in clinics (medical and dental clinics, specialized medical, laboratory clinics, polyclinics, and midwifery clinics) in Phuket, Thailand. A cross-sectional study was designed with stratified-random sampling used to select the sample of 344 respondents from 172 clinics of which data were collected using face-to-face interviews. The results showed that the majority of respondents (87.2%) were female of whom 36.9% were aged (20–29), 52.0% had more than 5 years working experience, and 51.2% had participated in at least one training course regarding medical waste management. The overall scores for knowledge, attitude, and practice were at a high level (89.5%, 91.9%, and 92.2%, respectively). Significant and positive correlations were found between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.464), knowledge and practice (r = 0.396), and practice and attitude (r = 0.519). Statistical analysis using t tests and one-way analysis of variance showed that working experience and its duration were significant factors influencing good medical waste management practice. However, local authorities should implement a well-planned collection and transfer process for medical waste in order to reduce the risk of environmental pollution and the risk of infection or injury to healthcare workers and the general public.