Study of knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Health Care Workers towards Biomedical Waste Management in Government Hospitals in Benghazi, Libya

Abstract

The study Aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of healthcare providers towards medical waste management. Methodology: Descriptive cross-sectional study included 773 participants were convenience sample, the study was conducted in five government hospitals including (Benghazi Medical Center, AlJalaa Hospital for Accidents and Surgery, Children Hospital Benghazi, Psychiatric Hospital Benghazi, and Benghazi Teaching Eye Hospital) from January to May 2024. The study targeted health workers who were presented during the period of data collection, including nurses, physicians, pharmacist, laboratory technician, hygienist or sanitary staff and others from all selected hospitals, the data were collected by using self-administrated questionnaire. Chisquare test used to determine any significant association. Result: The study showed that score of knowledge, attitude and practice were (62.97%), (63.07%), and (82.91%), respectively. There are significant relationships between the overall adequate knowledge, positive attitudes, and practices of participant's knowledge. the present study found that (64.6%) of the sample members had not received training courses, this may refer the lack of training courses for new employees, or the lack of periodic training courses to deal with medical waste. Conclusion: The high knowledge of healthcare workers was associated with their positive attitude and good practice in respect of MWM and was consistent with their KAP rating scores categorized as high knowledge, positive attitude, and good practice. The duration of working experience of healthcare workers was the most significant factor influencing good practices related to medical waste management.