Assessment of health workers’ knowledge about medical waste management in Al-Najaf city within Covid 19 situation

Healthcare workers engage in a wide range of tasks, most of which are related to patient care. While performing their jobs, they may be exposed to a number of occupational risks, including physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, and psychological dangers. The study aims to identify the level of knowledge and attitudes of medical and health workers about medical waste management. A cross-sectional study design was carried out from Nov.2021 to Mar. 2022. Six hundred medical and health staff were selected from Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital and three health centers. This result found that most of the participants from the two groups were from the same age group (21-31) years. As for professions, most of the participants were lab. Technicians (28.3%), followed by the pharmacist (24%), then nurses (22.7%) for the hospital group. On the other hand, for the health centers group, most of the participants were lab. Technicians (24%), followed by nurses (17.7%), then pharmacists (16.7%). Most types of medical west for both groups were the general waste, followed by the sharps west in the hospital. However, infectious wests come second in the health centres. The situation for the rest types of waste was different between groups. 57.7% of participants who work at a hospital have good knowledge; however, 39% of health workers of health centres have good knowledge about the management of medical wests. From a different view, most of the participants with good knowledge of the hospital were lab. Technicians (13.7%), followed by nurses (12.7%), and medical assist. (11%). On the other hand, most health workers who work at health centres with good knowledge were pharmacists (19.7%), followed by lab. Technicians (7.7%) then nurses (5%). According to attitudes, 49% of health workers who are working in the hospital have a good attitude about the management of the medical wests; most of them were nurses (11.3%), followed by the lab. Technicians (11%). On the other side, (47%) of health workers that have good attitudes about the management of medical wests were in the lab. Technicians (16.7%) followed by nurses (11.7%).