Impact of multi-modal learning workshop on awareness and knowledge of health care providers about waste management in India.

• Lallu Joseph,  
• Vijay Agarwal,  
• Jayalakshmi Jayarajan,  
• Jagadish Ramasamy,  
• Aruna Poojary,  
• Deepthi Madhu,  
• Malathi Murugesan*

Abstract

Introduction: Hospital waste management is crucial in preventing needle stick injuries and exposure to hazards. Adequate knowledge, appropriate safety measure, and methods of handling the wastes are more important in waste management. Aim and Objective: The objective of this project is to study the impact of multi-modal training workshops in improving the knowledge and awareness on biomedical waste management among healthcare workers. Methods: An eight-hour onsite training workshop was conducted in Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Indore, and Hyderabad from July to September 2023. A validated pre and post-test questionnaire was used to assess the impact of the workshop. At the end of each workshop, responses were analyzed to study the effectiveness of the workshop and to do a gap analysis on the areas that require strategic learning. Analysis was conducted on data aggregated using the Chi-square test. Results: In the above analysis, the pre-test scoring of these participants was 66%. After the workshop, the post-test scoring was 83% with a significant improvement (p < 0.0001). The pre-test and post-test scores in individual regions were 63% and 78% at Ahmedabad, 71% and 86% at Kolkata, 60% and 86% at Indore, and 68% and 83% at Hyderabad respectively. Conclusion: In healthcare facilities, training plays a key role in preventing health hazards for both employees and patients. Training must involve different types of learning methods tailored to the needs and capability of understanding of the participants. The effectiveness of training must be measured using appropriate tools to study the impact of the learning methods.

Keywords

Biomedical wastes, training,knowledge, awareness