Abstract
A descriptive cross-sectional study design was carried out from August 2021 to March 2022 to assess the factors contributing poor BMWM among health workers in Katabi Military Hospital. The study aimed at finding out the knowledge, practices and the effects of poor BMWM among health workers in Katabi Military hospital– Entebbe district and sample size of 50 respondents was determined using Kish and Leslie formula (1965). The study site was purposely selected because it was one of the areas having many staff we were targeting. Respondents were interviewed using pre-coded questionnaires designed in English and the collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and later presented in form of tables, pie charts, graphs, and text statements. Social-demographic characteristics of the study participants were: majority (50%) of the respondents were aged between 30-39 years, males were more than females by (66%), (40%) were single and (42%) of the respondent were nurses. Respondents had some knowledge about any discarded biological products such as used cotton swabs and blood from wards and laboratories being regarded as medical wastes, Practices of health workers about BMWM were; disposing all kinds of waste into a general bin, not segregating the biomedical waste according to different categories. There is need to institute deliberate interventions by Katabi hospital to provide community with clean dust bins and sanitation facilities to ensure safe disposal of fecal and solid waste, Government and other stake holders should ensure that the health workers receive trainings on how to manage biomedical wastes of any form and supplies to be used should be readily available and should be taught on how to use them i.e. personal protective equipment like gloves, aprons, masks etc. The district health service provider should intensify effective health education of the community, paying special attention to biomedical waste disposal management education and communication materials geared towards sensitizing them so as to reduce the incidence of pollutions and raising infections and DHO should work with and facilitate administrators, village health teams to promote good sanitary environment to reduce on the incidences of injuries from dumped sharp materials and infectious materials to both the staff and community at large.
Keywords
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