Knowledge and practice regarding medical waste management among theatre staff in operating rooms of three Referral Hospitals in Kigali

Abstract

Health care services including operating theatre, generate waste which is a public health concern. World Health Organization report, indicates that worldwide every year, about 8 to 16 million and 2,3 to 4,7 of people are contaminated by Hepatitis B and C viruses respectively, while a total number of 80, 000 to 160, 000 people are contaminated by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) due to unsecured injections disposal and poor waste management systems. Poor waste management is a global issue, reported in both developed and developing countries due to poor knowledge, lack of appropriate equipment and lack of policies regarding medical waste management system. Aim of the study: is to assess the level of knowledge and practice regarding medical waste management among theatre staff in operating rooms of three referral hospitals of Kigali. Methodology: A cross sectional descriptive quantitative research design was used. A total number of 240 populations were selected systematically. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results: Most of respondents (59%) were aged 30-39 years, the predominant education level was advanced diploma (42%) and most of them were registered nurse (40%). The level of knowledge among theatre staff regarding medical waste management was found good at 54%. Medical doctors and nurses have good knowledge than other group of population. The level of practice was relatively good and scored at 55%. Findings reveal that first four factors influencing medical waste management are lack of equipment (71%), negligence (66%), lack of awareness and training toward medical waste management (57%), and lack of coordination (45%). Age, education level, practice, and perceived factors were reported as predictors of knowledge among the study population (P<0.05). Conclusion: The knowledge and practice among theatre staff was reported to be above the average though the low level reported is worrying in hospital settings. This implies that participants’ knowledge increase or decrease has a role in waste management decision making. The higher the knowledge, the likelihood to better practice. The education level, experience, position of the medical practioners, hospital in which the practioners work and the age of the participants was reported to be associated with the knowledge on medical waste management at the study site. This implies that medical waste management knowledge and practice may be affected by different factors from the settings or from the staff and most of them may be preventable.