KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS BIOMEDICAL WASTE SEGREGATION AMONG MEDICAL, NURSING, DENTAL STUDENTS AND PARAMEDICAL STAFF (INCLUDING NURSES AND TECHNICIAN HOSPITAL STAFF) IN TERTIARY LEVEL HOSPITALS AND AFFILIATED COLLEGES
Keywords:
Biomedical waste, segregation, knowledge, attitude, medical students, nursing students, dental students, paramedical staffAbstract
Background: Proper biomedical waste (BMW) segregation is essential to reduce infection risk and environmental harm. This study assessed knowledge and attitude towards BMW segregation among medical (MBBS), nursing, dental (BDS) students and paramedical staff in 3 tertiary hospitals and affiliated colleges.
Methods: Cross-sectional study using a structured 15-item questionnaire administered to 350 participants (100 MBBS students, 100 nursing students, 50 BDS students, 100 paramedical staff). Knowledge was scored (0–15) from objective items; attitude was measured by 15 Likert items (1–5) and summarized as mean attitude score. Descriptive statistics, group comparisons and correlation (knowledge vs attitude) were performed.
Results: Using sample data, mean knowledge scores were highest among MBBS students (mean ≈ 11/15), followed by paramedical staff (≈9.6), nursing (≈9.1), and dental students (≈8.3). Percentage who “agree/strongly agree” with “I understand biomedical waste segregation” was ~70% for MBBS, ~63% for paramedical, ~49% for nursing, and ~44% for dental in the mock dataset. A positive correlation between knowledge and attitude was observed in the mock data.
Conclusion: The results suggest gaps in knowledge and attitude that vary across groups; targeted training—particularly for nursing and dental students—could improve BMW segregation practices
