Impact of healthcare waste management training intervention on the knowledge and practices of healthcare professionals: a quasi-experimental study in a Surgical University Hospital in Southern Tunisia

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Introduction. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) play a crucial role in healthcare waste management (HWM). Insufficient knowledge and inadequate management practices are the most important issues in the HWM process. The purpose of the study — the objective was to assess an educational program’s impact on HCP’s knowledge and practices regarding HWM. Materials and Methods. This quasi-experimental study consisted of a pretest evaluation, an intervention, and a post-test re-evaluation conducted in Habib Bourguiba University Hospital during the period of January 2nd to April 30th, 2022. Results. Overall, 134 HCPs provided complete responses. The median age was 40 years (Interquartile range = [32.00–48.75] years) and the sex ratio was 0.44. We found a significant rise in the knowledge score (KS) of participants regarding global HWM knowledge (86.8 ± 6.7 vs 58.5 ± 6.8; p < 0.001) and also in the KS for each waste category: non-infectious waste (89.6 ± 8.7 vs 68.9 ± 15.4; p = 0.005), infectious waste (90.7 ± 4.2 vs 74.3 ± 9.7; p = 0.001), sharps (89 ± 7,3 vs 72.9 ± 7.0; p < 0.001) and cytotoxic waste (80.0 ± 21.7 vs 17.2 ± 5.7; p < 0.001). We noted a significant rise in PS of participants regarding global HWM practices (93 ± 6 vs 73 ± 10; p < 0.001) and also for each item: availability of equipment in the medical treatment cart (100 ± 1 vs 71 ± 23; p < 0.001), healthcare waste segregation (78 ± 20 vs 54 ± 27; p = 0.002), information and training about HWM (100 ± 10 vs 71 ± 46; p = 0.003), and healthcare waste disposal (91 ± 14 vs 45 ± 34; p = 0.001). The KS change was significantly more important for HCPs who had no previous training in HWM during the last 3 years than other HCPs with previous training (29.8 vs 25; p = 0.042). Research limitations. It was a single-center study that could impact the generalization of the results on a national scale. Secondly, as previously noted, the participation rate was low but this fact was not an obstacle to having a positive impact on HCP’s knowledge and practices in the whole hospital. Conclusions. HWM training sessions are a promising and effective intervention to improve knowledge and practices of HCPs. It should not be a one-time activity but it should be a continuous and regular process to ensure a safe care environment and deliver quality care.