Risk Perception of Healthcare Workers Regarding Polymer Medical Waste Management

Abstract

Despite the relatively small amounts produced, medical waste is a significant issue for the government and the healthcare industry primarily because it poses threats to persons and the environment. Healthcare wastes pose threats to the environment and public health, but knowledge of these concerns and how they relate to management techniques is still lacking. Evaluating waste management practices and healthcare staff expertise is critical to identify shortcomings and lower risk levels. The study was conducted at three selected private hospitals. These three hospitals contain 462 beds, all together with 184 healthcare workers. The study was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional study, and three private healthcare institutions in the study region were evaluated. These 100 healthcare workers were chosen by purposive sampling. The hospitals under consideration include general surgical, Gynecological, pediatric, and various specialty treatments. Data was gathered for the study utilizing a quantitative questionnaire, which includes closed-ended structured questionnaires. The results showed that most healthcare workers practice waste segregation at source. Chemical cross-linking was very poor. However, waste shredding technology is being used substantially. Risk perception among Healthcare workers regarding polymer help waste management showed more of average to high risk. The study concluded that despite the existence of policies and plans, execution is still subpar at private healthcare institutions. The creation of guidelines for hospital waste management, their distribution to other institutions, and their encouragement to do a critical self-evaluation should all be required by the government.

Full text

2023
pp. 2269-2272
Vol. 22
p-ISSN: 0972-6268
(Print copies up to 2016) No. 4
Nature Environment and Pollution Technology
An International Quarterly Scientic Journal
Original Research Paper
e-ISSN: 2395-3454
Open Access Journal
Original Research Paper
https://doi.org/10.46488/NEPT.2023.v22i04.055
Risk Perception of Healthcare Workers Regarding Polymer Medical Waste
Management
Jasneet Kaur† , Sheela Upendra and Shital Barde
Symbiosis College of Nursing, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India
†Corresponding author: Jasneet Kaur; jasneetkaur@scon.edu.in
ABSTRACT
Despite the relatively small amounts produced, medical waste is a significant issue for the
government and the healthcare industry primarily because it poses threats to persons and
the environment. Healthcare wastes pose threats to the environment and public health,
but knowledge of these concerns and how they relate to management techniques is still
lacking. Evaluating waste management practices and healthcare staff expertise is critical
to identify shortcomings and lower risk levels. The study was conducted at three selected
private hospitals. These three hospitals contain 462 beds, all together with 184 healthcare
workers. The study was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional study, and three private
healthcare institutions in the study region were evaluated. These 100 healthcare workers
were chosen by purposive sampling. The hospitals under consideration include general
surgical, Gynecological, pediatric, and various specialty treatments. Data was gathered
for the study utilizing a quantitative questionnaire, which includes closed-ended structured
questionnaires. The results showed that most healthcare workers practice waste segregation
at source. Chemical cross-linking was very poor. However, waste shredding technology is
being used substantially. Risk perception among Healthcare workers regarding polymer
help waste management showed more of average to high risk. The study concluded that
despite the existence of policies and plans, execution is still subpar at private healthcare
institutions. The creation of guidelines for hospital waste management, their distribution
to other institutions, and their encouragement to do a critical self-evaluation should all be
required by the government.
INTRODUCTION
Polymers are substances connected with energy-intensive
manufacturing processes, along with environmental
deterioration and severe loss of precious resources due to
excessive waste generation (Evode et al. 2021). Furthermore,
polymer items are extremely susceptible to rapidly shifting
environmental conditions. Globally, the consumption and
production of all forms of polymers have been increasing at
a virtually consistent rate of roughly 6-7% each year (Balla
et al. 2021). In India, main polymers such as plastics, rubber,
and so on account for barely 4-5% of world consumption.
According to a study, the plastic sector has risen at an annual
growth rate of 10% in volume terms, with 8.33 million metric
tonnes per year (Jaiswal & Mishra 2019).
Despite the relatively small amounts produced, medical
waste is a significant issue for the government and the
healthcare industry, primarily because it poses threats to
persons and the environment (Wei et al. 2021). Previous
research has demonstrated that medical waste is poorly
managed in impoverished countries, and India is no
different. Some have researched the related dangers, but
few have looked into risk awareness among healthcare
workers, especially in this setting (Ferreira & Teixeira 2010).
Healthcare wastes may be harmful because they include
infectious agents, poisonous or hazardous chemicals or
medications, sharps, teratogenic or radioactive, among
other things. Most incidents recorded in the literature have
been linked to infectious medical wastes, especially sharps
(Prem Ananth et al. 2010). The design and execution
of waste management techniques decrease health and
environmental concerns, according to several studies
undertaken in various situations to evaluate healthcare
waste management methods. There have also been reports
of persistent shortcomings in handling medical waste (Azouz
et al. 2019).
A committed waste leadership team, effective
administration, careful planning, excellent organization,
supporting legislation, sufficient funding, and complete
Nat. Env. & Poll. Tech.
Website: www.neptjournal.com
Received:
13-02-2023
Revised: 29-03-2023
Accepted:
05-04-2023
Key Words:
Polymer
Health
Waste management
Healthcare worker

2270 Jasneet Kaur et al.
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Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This publication is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
employee engagement are all necessary to manage
polymer waste in a hospital (WHO 2019). Healthcare
wastes pose threats to the environment and public
health, but knowledge of these concerns and how they
relate to management techniques is still lacking (Kenny
& Priyadarshini 2021). Evaluating waste management
practices and healthcare staff expertise is critical to identify
shortcomings and lower risk levels. The objective of the
study includes identifying the practices among healthcare
workers regarding polymer health waste management, and
identifying the risk perception among healthcare workers
regarding polymer health waste management
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A study was conducted at three selected private hospitals.
These three hospitals contain 462 beds, all together with 184
healthcare workers. The study was designed as a descriptive
cross-sectional study, and three private healthcare institutions
in the study region were evaluated. These 100 healthcare
workers were chosen by purposive sampling. The hospitals
under consideration include general, surgical, gynecological,
pediatric, and specialty treatments. Data was gathered for the
study utilizing quantitative questionnaires, including closed-
ended structured questionnaires. It contains three parts. The
questionnaire’s first component evaluated Socio-demographic
characteristics, while the second part evaluated the practices
for handling polymer-based medical waste. The third part
was risk perception, measured by a 10-point Likert scale and
evaluated the risk grading as low, average, and high.
RESULTS
Section 1: Socio-Demographic Characteristics
Table 1 shows the social demographic variables of the
participants. 28% of them belong to the medical area, 22%
belong to the surgical area, 11% belong to the obstetrics
and gynecological area, 9% belong to the pediatric area,
12% belong to the operation theatre area, 7% belong to
laboratory area, 6% belongs to radiology area whereas other
were 5%.
44% of them knew the waste management policy, and
56%, that is, the majority, were unaware of it. 82% have
already received training regarding waste management,
whereas only 18% did not get any training.
Section II: Practices Regarding Polymer Waste
Management
Table 2 describes the practices regarding polymer waste
management among healthcare workers. 68% of the
healthcare workers practice waste segregation at source,
22% are not practicing, whereas 10% do it sometimes.
Chemical cross-linking was very poor, as 72% were not
practicing. Rather, only 28% were practicing. Regarding
waste shredding Technology, only 69% were used, whereas
31% were not used. 94% claimed to be using incinerators,
whereas only 6% were not using them. 88% practiced
burning and landfills, whereas 12% did not use them. 92% said
they disinfected the sharps before disposal, whereas 8% did not.
Section III: Risk Perception Among Healthcare Workers
Regarding Polymer Health Waste Management
Fig. 1 represents the risk perception among healthcare
workers regarding polymer help waste management. 28%
showed low risk, 58% were on average risk, whereas 16%
represented high risk
DISCUSSION
This study evaluated private hospitals’ procedures for
managing healthcare waste. It was found that the hospitals
Table 1: Socio-demographic characteristics.
Characteristics N Frequency
Type of Area
Medical
Surgical
Obstetrics and Gyane
Pediatric
OT
Laboratory
Radiology
Others
28
22
11
9
12
7
6
5
28%
22%
11%
9%
12%
7%
6%
5%
Know the waste management policy
Yes
No
44
56
44%
56%
Got training regarding waste management
Yes
No
82
18
82%
18%

2271RISK PERCEPTION OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS FOR POLYMER WASTE MANAGEMENT
Nature Environment and Pollution Technology • Vol. 22, No. 4, 2023
This publication is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This publication is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Table 2: Practices regarding polymer waste management.
Characteristics N Frequency
Waste segregation at the source
Yes
No
Sometimes
68
22
10
68%
22%
10%
Practicing Chemical cross Linking
Yes
No
28
72
28%
72%
Practicing waste shredding technology
Yes
No
69
31
69%
31%
Incinerator
Yes
No
94
6
94%
6%
Burying and Landfills
Yes
No
88
12
88%
12%
Disinfection of sharps before disposal
Yes
No
92
8
92%
8%
Disinfection of sharps before
disposal
Yes
No
92
8
92%
8%
Table 2 describes the practices regarding polymer waste management among healthcare
workers. 68% of the healthcare workers practice waste segregation at source, 22% are not
practicing, whereas 10% do it sometimes. Chemical cross-linking was very poor, as 72% were
not practicing. Rather, only 28% were practicing. Regarding waste shredding Technology, only
69% were used, whereas 31% were not used. 94% claimed to be using incinerators, whereas
only 6% were not using them. 88% practiced burning and landfills, whereas 12% did not use
them. 92% said they disinfected the sharps before disposal, whereas 8% did not.
Section III: Risk Perception Among Healthcare Workers Regarding Polymer Health Waste
Management
Fig. 1: Risk Perception among healthcare workers.
Fig 1 represents the risk perception among healthcare workers regarding polymer help waste
management. 28% showed low risk, 58% were on average risk, whereas 16% represented high
risk
Discussion
28%
56%
16%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Low Risk Avearge Risk High Risk
Risk Perception among HCWs
Fig. 1: Risk Perception among healthcare workers.
had well-framed waste management policies, but 56% were
unaware of that. Healthcare workers are the main task force
dealing with health waste management, and it has been
observed that more than 50% were unaware of the policy.
Most of them practice waste-shredding Technology, whereas
chemical cross-linking is the rarest. To minimize the volume
of hospital trash and render it unidentifiable, waste-shredding
techniques have previously been integrated with other
waste treatment practices such as autoclaves, microwaves,
and chemical treatment techniques (Mukhtar et al. 2018).
However, the shredding and compression techniques may
be integrated with landfill and incinerator technologies in
the chemical cross-linking approach because the shredding
technique alone does not fulfill the objective of preventing
hospital polymer waste recycling. A crucial component of
effective waste management is separating trash at the source.
However, maximum (68%) said they separated garbage at
the source, which is substantially greater than the results
described by Oli et al. where according to the study, 37
(12.3%) and 66 (21.4%) of the survey participants who

2272 Jasneet Kaur et al.
Vol. 22, No. 4, 2023 • Nature Environment and Pollution Technology This publication is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This publication is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
worked in government and private hospitals, respectively,
consistently separated trash at the site of creation (Oli et
al. 2016) The majority of respondents believed they were
at risk, 58% were on average risk whereas 16% were
representing high risk. Only a few people adopted protective
measures. This discrepancy between risk perception and
personal safety may be due to a lack of knowledge, personal
protective equipment, and even the hazards of polymer waste
(Koelmans et al. 2017). Such an assessment’s results will
help respond to the current public worry in a balanced way
and allow policymakers to take measures for scientifically
sound reasons.
CONCLUSION
According to the study, adequate resources are often available
for waste segregation at the point of creation. However,
healthcare employees do not follow safety regulations, and
there is no awareness of waste management policy. Despite
the existence of policies and plans, execution is still subpar
at private healthcare institutions. Most individuals are very
aware of the dangers involved with managing polymer health
waste, yet risk perception is relatively poor. The creation of
guidelines for hospital waste management, their distribution
to other institutions, and their encouragement to do a critical
self-evaluation should all be required by the government.
These concepts can be further developed toward technical
guidance documents, and then actual risk assessments for
plastic debris of all sizes will be within reach. The results
of such an assessment will inform policymakers and reduce
the present ignorance and uncertainty about ecological and
human health risks.
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ORCID DETAILS OF THE AUTHORS
Jasneet Kaur: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6897-9137
Sheela Upendra: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2413-1219
Shital Barde: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1777-0629