Abstract
Background and Objectives: Planning of a proper medical waste management program is a necessary for communities. The objectives of this study were investigated the knowledge and attitude of hospitals staffs and their practice toward proper medical waste management.
Materials and Methods: Among the 25 active hospitals in Tabriz 10-hospital were selected. An especial questionnaire was designed and distributed among the staffs in 7 different jobs category and the staffs practice condition was evaluated by 7 days monitoring and completing another especial check list by research team. The results were analyzed by SPSS software.
Results: The level of knowledge and attitude were different among different hospitals and different job categories. The maximum level of knowledge and attitude belonged to physicians and specialists and the minimum for ancillary workers assigned to collect and transport medical waste and other cleaning workers. There were significant associations between knowledge and attitude and level of education and work. Monitoring of staffs practice indicated that their practice were not in agreement with a proper medical waste management.
Conclusion: In the implementation of medical waste management program the role of training of staffs is significant only in combination with monitoring and enhancing of their practice level. Having staffs with good level of knowledge and attitude is not enough. It is necessary in addition preparing basic needs, the motivation of staffs is being enhanced and then legal control of system, evaluation, monitoring, encouraging of staffs and etc altogether be implemented.