scholarly journals Health Professionals Knowledge of Hospital Waste Sorting and Storage

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Beatriz Edra ◽  
Bruno Magalhães ◽  
Mafalda Silva ◽  
Maria do Céu Costa

The nature, diversity, and hazardousness of hospital waste (HW) require specific management procedures. Specific interventions on HW are imperative for modern societies, imposed by public and environmental health policies. The health institutions strategic management plan integrates HW management policies considering a social technic perspective process in their institutional strategic management plan, taking into account a sociotechnical perspective, based on related good practices. Sorting is one of the most critical phases for effective management in reducing risks of generated hospital waste, more specifically at the generation site. Health professionals play an important role in this process since they participate in sorting in different contexts of clinical practice. This research aimed to identify the periodicity of contact of different health professionals such as nurses, doctors and medical assistants (MA) with HW, and their knowledge regarding the practices of sorting and storing of HW. An observational, descriptive, and correlational cross-sectional study was developed. Data were gathered through a questionnaire applied to a sample of 1800 health professionals recruited from a Hospital Center in Porto ( Portugal). Results showed that from the 79% of health professionals who were in contact with HW, 68.7% had adequate knowledge about sorting practices. Health professionals presented more doubts in sorting and storing wastes from Groups III (Biological Hazard HW) and IV (HW of obligatory incineration).

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morrison Asiamah ◽  
Kwadwo Owusu Akuffo ◽  
Pricillia Nortey ◽  
Nina Donkor ◽  
Anthony Danso-Appiah

Abstract Background: Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADR) is an effective means of ensuring postmarketing surveillance of drugs, and health professionals play a cardinal role through voluntary reporting of ADR. However, the pharmacovigilance system in Ghana is plagued with under-reporting issues, which is of public health concern. Method: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study involving 268 health professionals at Kpone-Katamanso District was carried out. Data on spontaneous reporting of ADR, demographics of participants, knowledge, and attitudes of professionals towards reporting and factors that may influence ADR reporting were collected. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association of the independent variables with spontaneous reporting of ADR.Result: Overall, 77.6% (208) of the 268 respondents had witnessed ADR; however, only 17.3% of the respondents have ever reported an ADR to the FDA. Health professionals who had adequate knowledge on spontaneous reporting of ADR were 51.9%, while 30.3% had very good knowledge of spontaneous reporting of ADR. After statistical adjustment, Age (AOR=2.26, 95%CI= 1.25–4.10), Fear of Legal Consequences (AOR=0.15, 95%CI=0.41–0.51), Time Constraint (AOR=0.3, 95%CI=0.10–0.91), Pharmacovigilance training (AOR= 18.78, 95%CI= 5.46–64.59) and Unavailability of Reporting form (AOR=0.28, 95%CI=0.09– 0.88) were found to be significantly associated spontaneous reporting of ADR. Conclusion: The proportion of health professionals in the Kpone-Katamanso District who spontaneously report observed ADR is low. Our findings underscore the need for the FDA to intensify awareness through media sensitization and engage all relevant stakeholders on the need for the entire population to report ADR.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Babar Irfan ◽  
Ibrahim Zahid ◽  
Muhammad Sharjeel Khan ◽  
Omar Abdul Aziz Khan ◽  
Shayan Zaidi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Basic Life Support (BLS) is the recognition of sudden cardiac arrest and activation of the emergency response system, followed by resuscitation, and rapid defibrillation. According to WHO, Pakistan has one of the highest mortality rates from accidental deaths therefore assessment and comparison of BLS knowledge in health professionals is crucial. We thereby aim to assess and compare the knowledge of BLS in doctors, dentists and nurses. Methods A multi-centric cross-sectional survey was conducted in Karachi at different institutions belonging to the private as well as government sector from January to March 2018. We used a structured questionnaire which was adapted from pretested questionnaires that have been used previously in similar studies. Descriptive statistics were analyzed using SPSS v22.0, where adequate knowledge was taken as a score of at least 50%. P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Logistic regression was used to identify the factors affecting the knowledge regarding BLS in health care professionals. Results The responders consisted of 140 doctors, nurses and dentists each. Only one individual (dentist) received a full score of 100%. In total, 58.3% of the population had inadequate knowledge. Average scores of doctors, dentists and nurses were 53.5, 43.3 and 38.4% respectively. Doctors, participants with prior training in BLS and those with 6 to 10 years after graduation were found to be a significant predictor of adequate knowledge, on multivariate analysis. Conclusion Even though knowledge of BLS in doctors is better than that of dentists and nurses, overall knowledge of health care professionals is extremely poor. Present study highlights the need for a structured training of BLS for health care workers.


2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (06) ◽  
pp. 988-994
Author(s):  
RAHEELAH AMIN ◽  
RUBINA GUL ◽  
AMINA MEHRAB

Introduction: Hospital waste is a special type of waste which carries high potential of infection and injury. Objectives: Thisstudy was conducted to examine Medical Waste Management Practices in different hospitals of Peshawar. Methodology: Simpleobservational, cross-sectional study. was conducted with a case study approach. Aug-Sep 2011, with selection of 15 hospitals. The datawas collected through a pre-designed questionnaire with a checklist. Results: The study showed that 80% of the hospital personnel knewhospital waste and its management. There was waste management plan present in 30% of hospitals. Although hospitals did not quantifiedwaste amounts but on average the amount of waste generated daily was 0.5-1 kg/bed/day. Segregation into risk and non risk waste wasdone in 93.3% of hospitals. For non risk waste, disposal through Municipal Corporation was conducted in 86.67% of the hospitals, whilein 13.3%, it was burnt. For risk waste, either it was buried or burnt. Proper incineration was carried out in only 33.3% of the hospitals.Discussion: Hospital waste generation, segregation, collection, transportation & disposal practices were not in accordance with standardguidelines. The average waste generation in most of the hospitals was almost equivalent to other under developed countries but less thanthat of developed countries. Conclusions: The hospital waste in the majority of hospitals of Peshawar was mismanaged. No properhospital waste management plan existed except at few hospitals.


RSBO ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabete Rabaldo Bottan ◽  
Iara Fiorentin Comunello ◽  
Constanza Marín ◽  
Eduardo Mazzetti Subtil

Introduction and Objective: To evaluate the level of knowledge about oral cancer of students attending public school in one city of Santa Catarina (Brasil). Material and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study, using primary data collection. Students of last year of elementary school and first year of high school, enrolled in public schools in the city of Itajaí (SC), in 2012, were the target population. The non-probability sample was obtained by convenience. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire structured with 13 questions divided into three fields. The level of knowledge was made based on pre-established scores. Results: 1149 instruments were analyzed (80.8% of the target population). The average age of the group was 15.5 years and 54.5% were female. The majority (78%) never had received information about oral cancer. Only 27.9% had cognizance about self-examination of the oral cavity. With regard to knowledge, 87.5% classified as unsatisfactory. For most issues the cognitive field did not identify a significant correlation between knowledge and the variables gender and education. When asked if they would like to participate in educational and preventive activitiesabout oral cancer and other issues related to health, 72.6% expressed interest. Conclusion: The group did not have adequate knowledge on the subject of oral cancer. Facing this reality, and the positive attitude of respondents, the researchers designed and offered an educational program to the research subjects.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Vareda ◽  
T Garcia ◽  
J Rachadell

Abstract Background From disease prevention to health promotion, communication is key for Public Health (PH) practice and, according to the 9th Essential Public Health Operation its goal is to improve populations health literacy and capacity to access, understand and use information. Though social media is frequently presented as a potentially useful tool for PH communication, there is a lack of evidence about its effectiveness and impact on PH outcomes. This study researches Instagram® as a PH tool and aims to know who is using it, what content is shared on the platform and how much engagement there is. Methods This cross-sectional study regards information on 1000 Instagram® posts with the hashtags publichealth, publichealthpromotion, healthpromotion, publichealthmatters and publichealtheducation. Authors categorized post content and creators, and reviewed the number of likes and comments per post to determine engagement. Data analysis was performed on IBM SPSS® Statistics. Results The most common content categories were communicable diseases (n = 383), non-communicable diseases (n = 258) and healthy lifestyles (n = 143). Health professionals post more about communicable diseases (43,6%) and non-professionals about healthy lifestyles (36,1%). Non-professionals (n = 191) post about PH issues almost as much as health professionals (n = 220) and PH associations (n = 201). Most don't reference their sources (n = 821). Posts on communicable diseases have the most likes and comments per post (mean of 172 likes and 3,1 comments). Conclusions Half the Instagram® posts analysed in this study were made by health professionals or organizations. Communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases and healthy lifestyles were the most frequent content categories and had the most engagement. The majority of posts didn't reference their sources. Though Instagram® seems to be a potential PH communication tool, further research is needed to confirm its benefits for PH. Key messages Social media platforms like Instagram® are potentially powerful tools for PH communication. There is a need to understand the efficacy of social media as health promotion tools.


Author(s):  
Marta Maes-Carballo ◽  
Manuel Martín-Díaz ◽  
Luciano Mignini ◽  
Khalid Saeed Khan ◽  
Rubén Trigueros ◽  
...  

Objectives: To assess shared decision-making (SDM) knowledge, attitude and application among health professionals involved in breast cancer (BC) treatment. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study based on an online questionnaire, sent by several professional societies to health professionals involved in BC management. There were 26 questions which combined demographic and professional data with some items measured on a Likert-type scale. Results: The participation (459/541; 84.84%) and completion (443/459; 96.51%) rates were high. Participants strongly agreed or agreed in 69.57% (16/23) of their responses. The majority stated that they knew of SDM (mean 4.43 (4.36–4.55)) and were in favour of its implementation (mean 4.58 (4.51–4.64)). They highlighted that SDM practice was not adequate due to lack of resources (3.46 (3.37–3.55)) and agreed on policies that improved its implementation (3.96 (3.88–4.04)). The main advantage of SDM for participants was patient satisfaction (38%), and the main disadvantage was the patients’ paucity of knowledge to understand their disease (24%). The main obstacle indicated was the lack of time and resources (40%). Conclusions: New policies must be designed for adequate training of professionals in integrating SDM in clinical practice, preparing them to use SDM with adequate resources and time provided.


Author(s):  
Rachel J. Viggars ◽  
Andrew Finney ◽  
Barnabas Panayiotou

Summary Background More people are living with frailty and requiring additional health and support services. To improve their management, the “Frailty: Core Capability Framework” in the United Kingdom recommends frailty education for older individuals, their families, carers and health professionals. We performed a systematic review of specific educational programmes for these groups. Methods Electronic databases were searched using dedicated search terms and inclusion criteria. To improve accuracy, two reviewers carried out the screening and selection of research papers. Information from included studies was collected using a tailored data extraction template, and quality appraisal tools were used to assess the rigour of the studies. The findings were analysed to identify key themes. Results A total of 11 studies met the criteria and were included in the review. The study populations ranged from 12 to 603 and the research designs were heterogeneous (6 qualitative; 2 randomised controlled trials; 1 quasi-experimental; 1 mixed methods; 1 cross-sectional study). Whilst some methodological shortcomings were identified, all studies contributed valuable information. The results underwent narrative synthesis, which elucidated four thematic domains: (1) accessibility of educational programmes, (2) empowerment, (3) self-care, and (4) health promotion (especially exercise and nutrition). Conclusion Educational programmes for older people, their carers and health professionals are important for effective frailty prevention and management. To be maximally beneficial, they should be easily accessible to all target populations and include empowerment, self-care and health promotion. Further research should explore the formulation of widely applicable, user-friendly programmes and delivery formats that can be tailored to different client groups.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nafees Ahmad ◽  
Amer Hayat Khan ◽  
Irfanullah Khan ◽  
Amjad Khan ◽  
Muhammad Atif

Aim. To evaluate doctors’ knowledge, attitude, and practices and predictors of adherence to Malaysian hypertension guidelines (CPG 2008). Methods. Twenty-six doctors involved in hypertension management at Penang General Hospital were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Doctors’ knowledge and attitudes towards guidelines were evaluated through a self-administered questionnaire. Their practices were evaluated by noting their prescriptions written to 520 established hypertensive outpatients (20 prescriptions/doctor). SPSS 17 was used for data analysis. Results. Nineteen doctors (73.07%) had adequate knowledge of guidelines. Specialists and consultants had significantly better knowledge about guidelines’ recommendations. Doctors were positive towards guidelines with mean attitude score of 23.15±1.34 points on a 30-point scale. The median number of guidelines compliant prescriptions was 13 (range 5–20). Statistically significant correlation (rs = 0.635, P<0.001) was observed between doctors’ knowledge and practice scores. A total of 349 (67.1%) prescriptions written were guidelines compliant. In multivariate analysis hypertension clinic (OR = 0.398, P=0.008), left ventricular hypertrophy (OR = 0.091, P=0.001) and heart failure (OR = 1.923, P=0.039) were significantly associated with guidelines adherence. Conclusion. Doctors’ knowledge of guidelines is reflected in their practice. The gap between guidelines recommendations and practice was seen in the pharmacotherapy of uncomplicated hypertension and hypertension with left ventricular hypertrophy, renal disease, and diabetes mellitus.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bogale Kassahun Desta ◽  
Nega Tezera Assimamaw ◽  
Tesfaye Demeke Ashenafi

Introduction. In Ethiopia, it is the second cause for clinical presentation among under five-year child population. Objective. The main aim of this study was to assess knowledge, practice, and associated factors of home-based management of diarrhea among caregivers of children attending the under-five clinic. Methods. Institution based quantitative cross-sectional study was carried out from March 1, 2016, to April 22, 2016. Results. Two hundred eight (56.2%) of them had good knowledge and one hundred thirty-nine (37.6%) of them had the good practice of home management of diarrhea, specifically, primary education (AOR: 5.384, 95% CI: 2.008, 14.438), secondary and above education (AOR: 11.769, 95% CI: 3.527, 39.275), daily laborer (AOR: 0.208, 95% CI: 0.054, 0.810), and no information about diarrhea (AOR: 0.139, 95% CI: 0.054, 0.354). Moreover, age range of 25–35 (AOR: 4.091, 95% CI: 1.741, 9.616) and 36–45 (AOR: 3.639, 95% CI: 1.155, 11.460), being single (AOR: 0.111, 95% CI: 0.013, 0.938), being divorced (AOR: 0.120, 95% CI: 0.024, 0.598), illiteracy (AOR: 0.052, 95% CI: 0.017, 0.518), primary education (AOR: 0.143, CI: 0.046, 0.440), and no information about diarrhea (AOR: 0.197, 95% CI: 0.057, 0.685) were significantly associated variables with the outcome variables in multivariate regression. Conclusion. Caregivers had slightly adequate knowledge but poor practice.


Author(s):  
Kalaiselvy Arikrishnan ◽  
Gokul Sarveswaran ◽  
Yuvaraj Krishnamoorthy ◽  
Manikandanesan Sakthivel ◽  
Marie Gilbert Majella ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesTo determine the prevalence of Second Hand Smoking (SHS) and assess the factors related to exposure, knowledge and response to SHS among adolescents in rural Puducherry, South India.MethodsA community based cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents during March and April 2018. Two out of four villages were selected randomly and all the adolescents were contacted through household visit and questionnaire was administered. Semi structured questionnaire contained three sections: sociodemographic details, environmental assessment and third section contained knowledge about SHS, COTPA and response towards being exposed to SHS, as well as exposure history. Continuous variables like age were summarized as mean (SD). Categorical variables such as awareness, attitude and practise towards SHS were summarized as proportions with 95% confidence interval.ResultsTotal number of adolescents interviewed was 789. The mean age of the study participants were 14.1 (2.4) years and majority, 440 (55.8%) were boys and 684 (86.7%) belonged to nuclear family. More than one fourth, 210 (26.6%) belonged to middle class of socio-economic status. Environmental assessment of household showed more than half, 456 (57.8%) were staying in pucca house and majority 642 (81.4%) had adequate cross ventilation. It was found that about 70.1% had adequate knowledge about SHS and its harmful effects. Prevalence of exposure to SHS was 49%. Majority (40.5%) told that they will scold or advice the family member to stop smoking if they are exposed to SHS in the living place. However, almost 80% of adolescents mentioned that they will no’t react if they see someone smoking in a public place.ConclusionsCurrent study found that almost half of the adolescents were exposed to SHS. Even though, almost three fourth had adequate knowledge, attitude towards preventing SHS in public place was found to be poor. Hence, adolescents need to be motivated enough to address the problem in the public place through motivational counselling in adolescent clinics by health care workers.


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