Faculty of Technology and Environment, Prince of Songkla University, Phuket Campus, Phuket 83120, Thailand.
Environmental Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
J Environ Public Health. 2020 Sep 28;2020:8745472. doi: 10.1155/2020/8745472. eCollection 2020.
Medical waste represents a significant health risk and an environmental pollution concern due to its hazardous characteristics. The knowledge and practice of healthcare personnel in respect of the disposal of medical waste is essential to perform effective medical waste management. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to medical waste management among healthcare workers in clinics (medical and dental clinics, specialized medical, laboratory clinics, polyclinics, and midwifery clinics) in Phuket, Thailand. A cross-sectional study was designed with stratified-random sampling used to select the sample of 344 respondents from 172 clinics of which data were collected using face-to-face interviews. The results showed that the majority of respondents (87.2%) were female of whom 36.9% were aged (20-29), 52.0% had more than 5 years working experience, and 51.2% had participated in at least one training course regarding medical waste management. The overall scores for knowledge, attitude, and practice were at a high level (89.5%, 91.9%, and 92.2%, respectively). Significant and positive correlations were found between knowledge and attitude ( = 0.464), knowledge and practice ( = 0.396), and practice and attitude ( = 0.519). Statistical analysis using tests and one-way analysis of variance showed that working experience and its duration were significant factors influencing good medical waste management practice. However, local authorities should implement a well-planned collection and transfer process for medical waste in order to reduce the risk of environmental pollution and the risk of infection or injury to healthcare workers and the general public.
医疗废物因其危险特性而对健康构成重大风险，并对环境污染构成关注。医护人员在医疗废物处置方面的知识和实践对于进行有效的医疗废物管理至关重要。因此，本研究旨在评估泰国普吉岛诊所（医疗和牙科诊所、专业医疗、化验诊所、综合诊所和助产士诊所）医护人员与医疗废物管理相关的知识、态度和实践。本研究采用横断面研究设计，使用分层随机抽样方法从 172 家诊所中选择了 344 名受访者作为样本，通过面对面访谈收集数据。结果表明，大多数受访者（87.2%）为女性，其中 36.9%的年龄在（20-29）岁之间，52.0%的工作经验超过 5 年，51.2%的人至少参加过一次医疗废物管理培训课程。知识、态度和实践的总体得分均处于较高水平（分别为 89.5%、91.9%和 92.2%）。知识与态度（ = 0.464）、知识与实践（ = 0.396）和实践与态度（ = 0.519）之间存在显著正相关关系。 检验和单因素方差分析的统计分析表明，工作经验及其持续时间是影响良好医疗废物管理实践的重要因素。然而，地方当局应实施计划周密的医疗废物收集和转移过程，以降低环境污染风险以及医护人员和公众感染或受伤的风险。
