Knowledge, attitude and practice of hospital waste disposal among cleaners in a tertiary health institution in Plateau State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Hospital waste disposal has become an important public health concern especially in low and middleincome countries.  Health hazards could occur where there are inadequate and improper techniques in handling these wastes. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of hospital waste disposal among cleaners in a tertiary hospital of Plateau State, Nigeria.
Method: This was a cross-sectional study carried out among 206 cleaners. Data was collected using a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Knowledge, attitude and practice were all graded and scored. Analysis was done using Epi Info version 3.5.4 at a confidence level of 95% and pvalue of < 0.05.
Results: The mean age of respondents was 36.9 ± 9.5 years. The highest level of education was secondary school among 110 (54%) of them and 169 (82%) had been working for =10 years. Knowledge, attitude and practice was good among 83 (41%), 203 (98%) and 17 (8.3%) of respondents respectively. Knowledge grade and previous training were found to have a statistically significant relationship with practice on biomedical waste disposal (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The study revealed a lack of knowledge and poor practice of hospital waste disposal among hospital cleaners though with most having a good attitude. The hospital needs to train and retrain hospital cleaners, adopt and enforce guidelines specific for their use on medical waste disposal.