Knowledge, Attitude & Practice (KAP) among Staff Nurses Regarding Biomedical Waste Management (BMW): A Correlational Study Design

Abstract

Background: The safe and effective management of biomedical waste generated in the hospital is a collective responsibility of all health workers involved in patient care. It is cardinal that the staff nurses must have up to date knowledge regarding handling and management of biomedical waste for the sake of both themselves and the patients. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice levels among staff nurses regarding biomedical waste management and to determine the relationship between knowledge, attitude and practice levels. Materials and Methods: The following study adopted a Correlational design. 100 staff nurses from selected hospitals in Kollam, Kerala were assigned using convenience sampling. The data was collected using a structured knowledge questionnaire, a five-point Likert attitude scale and a verbal response checklist. Results: Findings of the study revealed that the Spearman’s Rank Coefficient (Rho) ‘ρ’ calculated at 0.65** for finding the relationship between knowledge and attitude levels was statistically significant at P<0.01 level. Also, the ‘ρ’ value (0.59**) calculated between knowledge and practice levels was significant at 0.01 level. The Chi square (χ2) value calculated was statistically significant for Knowledge level and selected sociodemographic variables such as; Gender (χ2 18.56**, df=02, P<0.01 level) and Professional Experience (χ2 11.59*, df-04, p<0.05 level); Also, between professional experience and Attitude (6.44**) and professional experience and practice levels (10.17**). The Fisher’s exact test revealed association between Gender and Attitude (P# 0.016*, df=02, P<0.05 level) as well as Gender and Practice (P# 0.005**, df-01, P<0.01 level of significance). Conclusion: The findings confirmed that there was a medium/moderate positive correlation between knowledge and attitude as well as knowledge and practice levels regarding biomedical waste management among staff nurses. Keywords: KAP, BMW, Staff Nurses, Correlational Design.