Will training help improve knowledge of healthcare workers on biomedical waste management?

Introduction: The Ministry of Health and Family welfare in India laid down the new Biomedical Waste Management (BMW) guidelines in 2016. This was a major milestone marked to reduce environmental pollution and encourage recycling of wastes which are non-biodegradable. These guidelines also ensure safe transport of biomedical waste by means of decontamination at user end before transport to final disposal site. The major importance in healthcare facilities were the changes made to segregation protocols. Making a change to the routine practice which was in effect from 1998 was a challenge faced by all health care facilities. The measures taken to overcome this challenge and improve knowledge are highlighted in our study.
Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care health facility in South India. Study participants were divided into three broad categories: Doctors, nurses, lab professionals and phlebotomists, housekeeping staff. Knowledge on biomedical waste was assessed using a set of questionnaires, following which training was conducted separately for each category. Various different training modalities used were: Lecture on 2016 BMW guidelines, games on BMW segregation and video on BMW. Effect of training was evaluated by using similar post-test questionnaire.
Results: Improvement in knowledge among staff was calculated using percentage of difference in pre and post-test evaluation. The average difference showed a 42.45% improvement. Maximum improvement in knowledge was observed among Physician Assistants (67.5% average difference) followed by junior doctors (53.2% and 52.5% average difference among Residents and Registrars respectively). Active participation was ensured by conducting games which enhances concentration and understanding.
Conclusion: Training healthcare professionals does make a difference in knowledge on biomedical waste management. Assessments prior to and after training sessions are the best way to evaluate effectiveness of training and improvement in knowledge.