Biomedical Waste Management: A study of knowledge, attitude and practice among health care personnel at tertiary care hospital in Rajkot

Background: Bio medical waste (BMW) collection and proper disposal has become a significant concern for both the medical and general community. Effective management of biomedical waste is not only a legal necessity but also a social responsibility. Objective: To know the knowledge, attitude and practice among health care personnels working in tertiary care centre. Methods: The study was conducted from January 2013 to June 2013. It was a descriptive observational hospital based cross sectional study. Study participants included the resident doctors intern doctors, nursing staff, laboratory technicians, ward boys and sweepers working in the institute who are dealing with BMW. The study was conducted by using pretested, semi-structured proforma. The data was tabulated and interpretation was done by using percentages through Epi Info 3.5.1 software. Results: It included 123 resident doctors and interns, 92 nurses, 13 laboratory technicians, and 54 sanitary staff. Majority of study participants belongs to 21-30 years (61%) age group. More than two third of study participants working in hospital from 1 to 5 years. Only 44.3% study participants received training for bio medical waste management. HIV (74.47%) and Hepatitis B (56.03%) were the main infectious diseases transmitted by the bio medical waste. Conclusion: The importance of training regarding bio medical waste management cannnot be overemphasized, lack of proper and complete knowledge about bio medical waste management impacts practices of appropriate waste disposal.