A SURVEY OF WASTE MANAGEMENT TRAINING NEEDS OF PHYSICIANS AND NURSES IN A NIGERIAN TERTIARY HOSPITAL

Abstract

Background: Waste management is crucial to maintaining a safe environment, especially in hospitals where infectious and potentially hazardous wastes are generated.

Objective: To evaluate the waste management training needs of physicians and nurses in a Nigerian tertiary health facility.

Methods: A self-administered validated questionnaire was used to collect information from physicians and nurses of a tertiary teaching hospital in southwest Nigeria. Information collected included respondents’ biodata, category of healthcare staff, and knowledge of waste management. Predictor variable was waste management training in the past year. Bivariate analyses were performed with t-test and chi-square test, and a multivariable binary logistic regression model was also conducted.

Results: Two hundred and forty-three physicians and nurses participated in this analytical cross-sectional study. Their ages ranged from 21–52 years, with a mean age of 32.2 ± 6.12 years. There were more males than females in the study. Only 19 (7.8%) of them had received waste management training in the past year. Participants who had undergone training in waste management were more knowledgeable about waste management in most areas tested. The multivariable regression analysis showed that the model could account for 49% of the impact of training on waste management (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: Most physicians and nurses had not received training on waste management in the past year. The few respondents with recent training demonstrated sound knowledge about proper waste management.