Assessment of Knowledge attitude and practices of Nurses towards Health Care Waste Management in Port Sudan city, Sudan 2019-2020

Abstract

Knowledge is usually gained through information provided by teachers, parents,
friends, books, newspapers etc. (1 ) In many countries, knowledge about the potential for
harm from HCW has now become more prominent to governments, medical practitioners and civil society. Increasingly, managers and medical staff are expected to take more responsibility for the wastes they produce from their medical care and related activities. Knowledge of staff regarding
Healthcare Waste (HCW) can help patients and visitors to understand their role in maintaining good hygiene, and to become more responsible for the wastes they produce.
(2) Practices of HCW management should be a part of total hygiene practice of the society
rather than confining it to hospital and healthcare facilities. It is also very important
that strict supervision and surveillance is followed in day-to-day HCW management activities. (3)
Nurses play a key role in the management of HCW. They should be able to segregate the
waste and store it in the correct bins at the point of generation; and in order for them to
fulfill this function efficiently, it is important that they have adequate knowledge about the
importance of segregation and how to distinguish the different containers and bins for
the various types of HCW. (4) Nurses and all the sanitation staff working in a hospital need
to know the health hazards of hospital waste and the proper techniques and methods of
handling the waste. This knowledge and proper practice can go a long way towards the
safe disposal of hazardous hospital waste and the protection of healthcare personnel,
patients, as well as the community at large and the environment. (5)