Impact of intervention on awareness of biomedical waste disposal among medical students

  • Dhananjay Shrikant Kotasthane Department of Pathology,Mahatma Gandhi Medical college and Research Institute,pillaiyarkuppam,Pondicherry, India
  • Vaishali Dhananjay Kotasthane Department of Pathology,Mahatma Gandhi Medical college and Research Institute,pillaiyarkuppam,Pondicherry, India
  • Shanmugasamy K Department of Pathology,Mahatma Gandhi Medical college and Research Institute,pillaiyarkuppam,Pondicherry, India
  • Ancy A Department of Pathology,Mahatma Gandhi Medical college and Research Institute,pillaiyarkuppam,Pondicherry, India
Keywords: Biomedical waste, Medical students, Awareness

Abstract

Background:The proper management of biomedical waste has become a worldwide humanitarian topic today. Hazards of poor management of biomedical waste have aroused the concern world over, especially in the light of its far-reaching effects on human, health and the environment. With this milieu, this interventional study was carried out on medical students aimed at assessing and creating the awareness of knowledge of Biomedical Waste Management (BMWM) among Second year MBBS Students.Methods: Multiple-choice-Question(MCQ) based Questionnaire was administered to the students. This was followed by a lecture on Biomedical Waste Management.The same MCQ based Questionnaire was administered to the students immediately after the lecture and after one month.The questions in the test were based on Four domains-“Existence of Biomedical Waste rules”, “Categories of Waste”, “Different colour codes used” and “Waste disposal methods” Mean scores were calculated for the entire tests as well as for these domains.Results: Mean scores in pre-lecture test indicated that awareness of Biomedical Waste Management amongst medical students was quite low.Mean scores were higher in post lecture test and post one month test, indicating that the knowledge of the various aspects of biomedical waste management significantly improved after the lecture conducted by the  investigator of the study However, the knowledge did not sustain after one month, though it  was still higher than the original baseline level. Friedman test and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to prove the statistical significance.Conclusion: This study shows that early sensitisation about BMWM in Second MBBS students who are future doctors will improve awareness of BMWM. Repeated sensitisation is needed for the knowledge levels to sustain. DOI: 10.21276/APALM.1251 

Author Biographies

Dhananjay Shrikant Kotasthane, Department of Pathology,Mahatma Gandhi Medical college and Research Institute,pillaiyarkuppam,Pondicherry, India
Professor and HOD,Department of pathology
Vaishali Dhananjay Kotasthane, Department of Pathology,Mahatma Gandhi Medical college and Research Institute,pillaiyarkuppam,Pondicherry, India
Assistant Professor
Shanmugasamy K, Department of Pathology,Mahatma Gandhi Medical college and Research Institute,pillaiyarkuppam,Pondicherry, India
Assistant Professor
Ancy A, Department of Pathology,Mahatma Gandhi Medical college and Research Institute,pillaiyarkuppam,Pondicherry, India
II MBBS Student

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Published
2017-04-12
Issue
Vol 4 No 2 (2017)
Section
Original Article

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