Knowledge, attitude and practices of hospital staff regarding hospital waste management in public hospitals of district Gujranwala, Pakistan

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of hospital staff on hospital waste management. Methodology: Convenient sampling technique was used to collect data from the doctors (160), nurses (172), paramedics (112) and sanitary workers (106) from four public hospitals of District Gujranwala, Pakistan. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20. Results: The disposal of waste was experienced by most doctors (81%) and nurses (92%) as compared to paramedics (54%) and sanitary workers (55%). Majority of the nurses were practicing sharps disposal in puncture proof container followed by doctors (88%), while this was low in paramedics and sanitary workers. Majority of the nurses (83%) said that proper disinfection of hospital waste was being performed at hospital. Majority of the doctors (76%) and nurses (78%) were practicing the protective measures whereas this was low among the paramedical staff and sanitary workers. The practice of waste segregation by most of the doctors (77%) and nurses (91%) were being practiced, while in paramedic (53%) and sanitary staff (53%) was low. Conclusion: There is gap between knowledge and practices as per waste management guidelines. There was lack of hospital waste practices within the public hospital. There is need of training of hospital staff and continuous training will ultimately result in better management of hospital waste.