Occupational Safety-Based Medical Waste Management Performance Of Health Care Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Healthcare workers' performance in medical waste management directly impacts their occupational safety by reducing exposure to hazards; this performance is improved through proper training, consistent adherence to guidelines, adequate access to personal protective equipment (PPE) Aim: The study aims to assess healthcare workers’ performance based on occupational safety regarding medical waste management by assessing their knowledge, attitude, and practice. Subjects and Methods:  It was carried out at primary health care centers and governmental hospitals in Damanhour city using a cross-sectional descriptive design on 96 nurses and 34 housekeepers. The data was collected using two different versions of self-administered questionnaires and observation checklists, one for nurses and one for housekeepers. Results: Only 33.3% of the nurses had satisfactory knowledge, 68.8% had positive attitudes, 61.5% had adequate reported practice and only 34.4% had adequate observed practice. Significant positive correlations were found between nurses’ scores of knowledges attitudes, reported, and observed practices. Overall, 44.1% of the housekeepers had satisfactory knowledge, 73.5% had positive attitudes, 91.2% had adequate reported practice, and 38.2% total observed practice. Conclusion and recommendations: The HCWs in the study settings have deficient knowledge of medical waste management, with more positive attitudes and less adequate practice. The main recommends clear policies and procedures with awareness programs to make the guidelines known to all HCWs. Close monitoring and supervision are necessary, with rewards for adequate practices. Further research is proposed to investigate the effectiveness of training on HCWs’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice of safe medical waste management.