Knowledge and Practices of Hospital Waste Management in Mymensingh, Bangladesh

Abstract

Hospital waste management is the segregation, collection, treatment, disposal or recycling of the medical wastes. It is an often overlooked yet an integral part of a sound public and environmental health. Bangladesh have been struggling to meet the standard of safe hospital waste management. This study aims to identify the existing gaps and limitations of the hospitals’ waste management facilities as well as assess the knowledge level of four participant groups who are doctors, medical staff (nurse, technicians), cleaners and the patients in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. The result findings combine a situational analysis of the hospitals and the knowledge regarding waste management. A descriptive cross-sectional study was used. Two sets of structure questionnaire were prepared for both the participants and the hospitals. Data collection was done in 7 private hospitals and 5 public hospitals where total of 263 participants were interviewed following a purposive sampling method. SPSS was used for data management and analysis. The research found association between the knowledge of the participants and their education and occupation. The assessment of the hospitals presented an unsatisfactory level of waste management where most of the wastes were dumped in open areas (50% of the infectious waste), all chemical wastes are discharged in the water without any treatment and proper equipment and supervision are lacking. With the suggestions and recommended learning methods provided by the participants, the result findings can be applied to strengthen the existing waste management guidelines and protect against the hazardous hospital wastes.