Abstract
Aim: Failure to properly manage medical waste potentially exposes healthcare professionals, waste handlers, patients, and the general public to risks such as infection, toxic effects, injuries, and environmental pollution. The study was planned in a descriptive cross-sectional type and it was aimed to evaluate the medical waste knowledge levels of nursing
students.
Methods: The sample consisted of 100 nursing students studying in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades of a state university. The Kuder Richardson 20 coefficient was found to be 0.744 by collecting data based on the selfreports of the participants with the questionnaire created by the researchers in the study. The level of significance is taken α=0.05. Categorical variables were analyzed with the Chi-Square test, Fisher's exact Chi-square test, and Fisher Freeman Halton test.
Results: In our study, 70 (70.00%) people take a course on medical waste, 6 (6.00%) people work in any health institution. It was found that the rate at which medical waste bags should be filled and the evaluation of expired or unused drugs as pharmaceutical waste was statistically significant according to gender (p = 0.028, and p = 0.047).
Conclusion: As nursing students take lectures or courses on medical waste, and their grade levels rise, their knowledge of medical waste increases. Based on the results of our study, increasing medical waste education is of great importance in terms of public health, personnel health, and environmental health
References
- Akbolat M, Isık O, Dede C and Cimen M. Assessment of health professionals’ knowledge levels about medical waste. ACU Health Sciences Journal. 2011;2:131-140.
- Cansaran D. A study on the assessment of medical waste awareness levels of employees: A case of Merzifon State Hospital. MANAS Journal of Social Studies. 2017;6(3):271-284.
- Ertas H and Guden MA. Medical waste management in hospitals. Journal of Social Research and Management. 2019;1:53-67.
- Hascuhadar M, Kaya Z, Serbetcioglu S, Arslan T. and Altinkaya S. The awareness level among the employees working in Ankara Ataturk Training and Research Hospital about medical wastes. Turkish Medical Journal. 2007;1:138-144.
- Joseph L, Paul H, Premkumar J, Rabindranath, Paul R and Michael J S. Biomedical waste management: Study on the awareness and practice among healthcare workers in a tertiary teaching hospital. Indian J Med Microbiol. 2015;33:129-31.
- Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Medical Waste Control Regulation. Official Gazette. 2005;25883.
- Ministry Of Environment And Urban Planning. Regulation On The Control Of Medical Waste. Official Gazette. 2017;29959:1-104.
- Terzi O and Yuce M. Evaluation of information levels of trainee students in a hospital about medical waste management. Gumushane University Journal Of Health Sciences. 2017;6(1):58-64.
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Compendium of technologies for treatment/destruction of healthcare waste. Osaka, Japan: UNEP, UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics. International Environmental Technology Centre. 2012;3-236.
- Windfeld ES and Brooks MS. Medical waste management - A review. Journal of Environmental Management. 2015;163:98-108.
- World Health Organization. Safe management of wastes from healthcare activities. 2nd ed. Geneva: WHO press; 2014. p. 20-329.
Abstract
Aim: Failure to properly manage medical waste potentially exposes healthcare professionals, waste handlers, patients, and the general public to risks such as infection, toxic effects, injuries, and environmental pollution. The study was planned in a descriptive cross-sectional type and it was aimed to evaluate the medical waste knowledge levels of nursing
students.
Methods: The sample consisted of 100 nursing students studying in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades of a state university. The Kuder Richardson 20 coefficient was found to be 0.744 by collecting data based on the selfreports of the participants with the questionnaire created by the researchers in the study. The level of significance is taken α=0.05. Categorical variables were analyzed with the Chi-Square test, Fisher's exact Chi-square test, and Fisher Freeman Halton test.
Results: In our study, 70 (70.00%) people take a course on medical waste, 6 (6.00%) people work in any health institution. It was found that the rate at which medical waste bags should be filled and the evaluation of expired or unused drugs as pharmaceutical waste was statistically significant according to gender (p = 0.028, and p = 0.047).
Conclusion: As nursing students take lectures or courses on medical waste, and their grade levels rise, their knowledge of medical waste increases. Based on the results of our study, increasing medical waste education is of great importance in terms of public health, personnel health, and environmental health
References
- Akbolat M, Isık O, Dede C and Cimen M. Assessment of health professionals’ knowledge levels about medical waste. ACU Health Sciences Journal. 2011;2:131-140.
- Cansaran D. A study on the assessment of medical waste awareness levels of employees: A case of Merzifon State Hospital. MANAS Journal of Social Studies. 2017;6(3):271-284.
- Ertas H and Guden MA. Medical waste management in hospitals. Journal of Social Research and Management. 2019;1:53-67.
- Hascuhadar M, Kaya Z, Serbetcioglu S, Arslan T. and Altinkaya S. The awareness level among the employees working in Ankara Ataturk Training and Research Hospital about medical wastes. Turkish Medical Journal. 2007;1:138-144.
- Joseph L, Paul H, Premkumar J, Rabindranath, Paul R and Michael J S. Biomedical waste management: Study on the awareness and practice among healthcare workers in a tertiary teaching hospital. Indian J Med Microbiol. 2015;33:129-31.
- Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Medical Waste Control Regulation. Official Gazette. 2005;25883.
- Ministry Of Environment And Urban Planning. Regulation On The Control Of Medical Waste. Official Gazette. 2017;29959:1-104.
- Terzi O and Yuce M. Evaluation of information levels of trainee students in a hospital about medical waste management. Gumushane University Journal Of Health Sciences. 2017;6(1):58-64.
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Compendium of technologies for treatment/destruction of healthcare waste. Osaka, Japan: UNEP, UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics. International Environmental Technology Centre. 2012;3-236.
- Windfeld ES and Brooks MS. Medical waste management - A review. Journal of Environmental Management. 2015;163:98-108.
- World Health Organization. Safe management of wastes from healthcare activities. 2nd ed. Geneva: WHO press; 2014. p. 20-329.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Nursing |
| Journal Section | Research Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | September 16, 2021 |
| Submission Date | May 24, 2021 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2021 Volume: 4 Issue: 2 |
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