Abstract
The present study aims at assessing nursing and sanitation staff knowledge and practice regarding Healthcare Waste (HCW) management before and after the implementation of an educational intervention program at the main hospitals of the White Nile State in Sudan. Quasi-experimental study design was applied to assess the impact of an intervention program on knowledge and practice regarding HCW management. The same questionnaire used in the pre-test was used immediately after the end of the intervention program and then again three months later for a second post-test. The results showed that the majority of nursing and sanitation staff had fair knowledge regarding HCW management before the educational intervention program (17% good, 58% fair, and 25% poor). After implementation of the educational program, the majority had good knowledge (56% good, 34% fair, and 10% poor) in the immediate post-test, and also in the post-test three months later (59% good, 35% fair, and 6% poor). More than half the nursing and sanitation staff had fair level of practice before the educational intervention program (42% good, 55% fair, and 3% poor). After the implementation of the intervention program, the immediate post-test showed a similar result (45% good, 54% fair, and 1% poor), while the post-test three months later showed that the majority demonstrated good practice level (55% good, 42% fair, and 3% poor). The nursing and sanitation staff at the main hospitals of the White Nile State in Sudan recorded significant improvement in their knowledge and practice with regard to HCW management immediately after the educational intervention program and three months later.
Highlights
Knowledge is usually gained through information provided by teachers, parents, friends, books, newspapers etc. [1] In many countries, knowledge about the potential for harm from Healthcare Waste (HCW) has become more prominent to governments, medical practitioners and civil society
The following tables and figures explain the results of nursing and sanitation staff at the three hospitals under study with regard to their knowledge and practice of HCW management
The findings of the present study showed fair knowledge (55%) regarding infectious disease transmission due to improper HCW management in intervention group study; there was a significant improvement in knowledge after the educational intervention program, with the participants showing good knowledge (81%) immediately and (87%) after three months
Summary
Knowledge is usually gained through information provided by teachers, parents, friends, books, newspapers etc. [1] In many countries, knowledge about the potential for harm from HCW has become more prominent to governments, medical practitioners and civil society. Nurses play a key role in the management of HCW They should be able to segregate the waste and store it in the correct bins at the point of generation; and in order for them to fulfill this function efficiently, it is important that they have adequate knowledge about the importance of segregation and how to distinguish the different containers and bins for the various types of HCW. This knowledge and proper practice can go a long way towards the safe disposal of hazardous hospital waste and the protection of healthcare personnel, patients, as well as the community at large and the environment. [5]
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