Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices About Biomedical Waste  Management among Healthcare Workers in Erbil Teaching Hospitals.

Jihad Zrar  Aziz Bilbas; Samir Mahmood  Othman Al-Najjar; Othman Arab  Hamad Bilbas

doi:10.56056/amj.2025.340

Authors

Jihad Zrar Aziz Bilbas MBChB, FKBMS/CM. Infectious Disease Control Trainee in the Kurdistan Higher Council of Medical Specialties, Erbil, Iraq
Samir Mahmood Othman Al-Najjar MBChB, PhD, Assistant Professor of Community Medicine, Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Iraq
Othman Arab Hamad Bilbas MBChB, MPH, FIBMS/CM, Kurdistan Higher Council of Medical Specialties, Director of Quality Assurance and Accreditation Department, Erbil, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56056/amj.2025.340

Keywords:

Attitude, Biomedical waste management, Healthcare workers, Knowledge, Practice

Abstract

Background and objectives: Biomedical waste must be handled and disposed of properly to prevent several detrimental impacts on the populations it serves. The study assesses healthcare workers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices on biomedical waste management in Erbil's teaching hospitals.

Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted between October 1^st, 2022, and September 30^th, 2023. This research was conducted at the teaching hospitals in Erbil. Healthcare workers, including physicians, pharmacists, nurses, laboratory technicians, and sanitary staff, were included in this study. Knowledge, attitude, and practice about biomedical waste management were investigated.

Results: A total of 530 participants were included in the study. 55.7% were female, 24.3% were physicians, and 45.7% were nurses. 45.8% of participants had medium knowledge of biomedical waste management, while 33% had poor knowledge. 60.9% had a positive attitude about biomedical waste management. About 41% of the study participants had bad practices in biomedical waste management, 40.6% had medium, and 18% had good practices. There was a significant statistical association between knowledge and attitude levels among healthcare workers, their degree of practice, and gender. P value = 0.000, 0.000, and 0.000, respectively. >15 years of experience were better practiced (p-value = 0.05).

Conclusion: The results of our study showed significant associations between knowledge and attitude toward their practice, gender, and health workers' attendance at biomedical waste management training courses.

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Author Biography

Jihad Zrar Aziz Bilbas, MBChB, FKBMS/CM. Infectious Disease Control Trainee in the Kurdistan Higher Council of Medical Specialties, Erbil, Iraq

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