Knowledge and Attitude of Hospital Personnel Regarding Medical Waste Management

Abstract

Aims Considering the importance of medical waste recognition by health centers staffs and its role on maintenance and improvement of social and environmental health, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices of hospital staffs regarding to medical waste management. Instrument & Methods The current descriptive, analytical and cross-sectional research was carried out on the staffs of the Ayatollah Rohani Hospital of Babol City, Iran, in 2013. 130 employees were selected by stratified sampling method. A researcher-made questionnaire (accessible as an attachment) containing 4 parts of demographic information, knowledge (15 questions), attitude (6 questions) and practices (6 questions) was used for data gathering. The data was analyzed by SPSS 17 software using Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Findings The participants mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice were 10.7±1.6 (out of 15), 5.5±0.8 (out of 6), and 4.5±1.5 (out of 6), respectively. 12% (16 people) of the participants had low, 72% (93 people) of the participants had medium, and 16% (21 people) of them had high knowledge toward hospital waste management. 16% (21 people) of the participants had medium and 84% (109 people) of them had high attitude toward hospital waste management. 4% (5 people), 46% (60 people) and 50% (65 people) of the participants had low, medium and high practice, respectively. Conclusion The level of knowledge, attitude and practice of the Ayatollah Rohani Hospital of Babol City, Iran, regarding hospital waste management is acceptable. A B S T R A C T A R T I C L E I N F O