Abstract
Biomedical waste (BMW) management is an essential practice of healthcare professionals (HCPs) for preventing health and also environmental hazards. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic, posing significant challenges for healthcare sectors. A cross-sectional study was performed to assess the knowledge, practice, and attitude on BMW management among HCPs when taking care of patients with COVID-19 and associated with demographic variables. From Al-Ahsa healthcare sectors, 256 HCPs were selected randomly, of which 105 (41%) had excellent knowledge, 87 (34%) had good knowledge, and 64 (25%) had poor knowledge with a mean score of 13.1 ± 3.6. A higher mean score was (14.4 ± 3.2) obtained by physicians, and (13.6 ± 3.8) nurses than the other HCPs. Regarding practice, 72 (28.1%) HCPs used and discarded PPE while handling biomedical wastes. Additionally, 88 (34.4%) followed proper hand hygiene before and after each procedure and whenever needed. Physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists had a more favorable attitude than other HCPs. There was a statistically significant association found among knowledge level and educational qualification (p < 0.0001), gender (p < 0.001), and work experience (p < 0.05). Emphasis is needed to train all HCPs regarding proper BMW management during this pandemic to prevent infection transmission.
Highlights
Biomedical waste (BMW) is healthcare wastes or hospital wastes generated from biological and medical activities, such as from the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of diseases [1]
A descriptive design-based cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare professionals (HCPs) from the period of December 2020 to April 2021 in the governmental and non-governmental healthcare sectors caring for patients with COVID-19 in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
HCPs are frontline workers in the COVID-19 crisis; they face a greater risk of contamination due to their direct contact with patients and specimens
Summary
Biomedical waste (BMW) is healthcare wastes or hospital wastes generated from biological and medical activities, such as from the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of diseases [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as the sixth public health emergency of international concern [3]. This severe pandemic crisis has been engendered a global health crisis in addition to its diverse impacts on the economy, society, and environment. Efforts taken to combat this pandemic have significantly increased the quantity of BMW generation. The safe disposal of an increased quantity of BMW has been gradually posing a major challenge [4]
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