KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF STAFF NURSES RELATED tO HEALTH CARE WASTE MANAGEMENT

Background: The management of healthcare waste is great importance due to its potential environmental hazards and public health risks. The safe management of healthcare waste may be achieved by ensuring care in dealing with the healthcare waste. Hence it is the ethical responsibility of management of hospitals and health care providers especially staff nurses. Aim: The present study aimed to assess knowledge and practice of staff nurses related to health care waste management in El-Zohor hospital. A descriptive study was utilized .Subjects & Method: sample of 110 nurses. Data were collected using a knowledge questionnaire sheet and an observation checklist for assessing the practice of the staff nurses. Result: The results revealed that the majority of nurses had satisfactory knowledge regarding health care waste management and had adequate practices in most areas of waste management. Conclusion: The findings pointed to a statistically significant correlation between nurses’ knowledge and practice regarding healthcare waste management. Recommendation: A close monitoring, to ensure the application of safety regulations in waste handling continuously.