ASSESSING NURSES, KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICES REGARDING MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT AT A TEACHING HOSPITAL IN LAHORE

Background: Biomedical waste poses serious health and environmental threats if not managed appropriately. It includes infectious materials such as used syringes, blood-soaked dressings, body fluids, pharmaceuticals, and radioactive substances. Inadequate segregation and disposal increase the risk of infection among healthcare workers and patients and contribute to environmental degradation. Effective biomedical waste management is essential for hospital safety and must be guided by the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of the healthcare providers responsible for waste handling. Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding biomedical waste management among staff nurses and to evaluate the impact of training on these parameters at a teaching hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 93 staff nurses selected through convenience sampling at a tertiary care teaching hospital. A structured questionnaire was used to evaluate demographic data and responses to KAP-related items. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 27. Independent t-tests were applied to compare the KAP scores between trained and untrained nurses. Frequencies and percentages were used to summarize the responses, and data were visualized using bar and pie charts. Results: Out of 93 participants, 54.8% had received formal training in biomedical waste management. However, 58.1% lacked knowledge about proper segregation, 52.7% were unaware of associated health hazards, and 51.6% could not identify waste-related symbols. Attitudinally, 58.1% considered waste management an extra burden, while 57.0% expressed interest in continuous education. On the practice front, 58.0% reported absence of a color-coding system, and 52.7% failed to dispose of waste in designated containers. Trained nurses consistently demonstrated significantly better KAP scores (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The study highlights critical deficiencies in biomedical waste handling among nurses and emphasizes the need for structured training programs, improved policy enforcement, and institutional accountability.