Introduction: Biomedical waste (BMW) is a major hazard to human health. Improper disposal of BMW can cause sharp injuries in Healthcare workers (HCWs) & Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in patients. Hence proper disposal of BMW is an essential aspect of any healthcare establishment. HCWs are directly involved with the patient care, therefore the onus of proper segregation of BMW falls on the HCW. This study was done to find out the segregation practices of BMW among HCWs, the impact of the onsite training program & the problems faced in proper management of BMW. Methodology: Various in-patient wards of the hospital were visited for initial period of 3 months and BMW management practices & deficiencies were observed. Onsite training was imparted to the HCWs. These wards were revisited to see the impact of onsite training & HCWs were equivocal about problems faced by them. Results: Practices were deficient (65.38%) in Paediatrics wards, followed by OB/GYN (51.92%), Surgery (46.51%) & Medicine (30.7%). Various deficiencies observed were overflowing bags, improper segregation and needle disposals. Post onsite training, deficiencies reduced by 30.76% , 21.15%, 25% and 17.24% in Paediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Surgery and Medicine wards respectively (P<0.05). Problems faced by HCWs in proper management of BMW were short supply of basic items, lack of monitoring at night, high workload and lack of awareness. Regular monitoring and onsite training is must for proper segregation of BMW.
Impact Factor
2022: 6.012
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