Improvement in the knowledge of health care workers following the structured training sessions under swachhta action plan

Abstract

Introduction Of the total bio- medical waste generated only 10- 15 % is hazardous. Improper waste management poses hazardous effect on health care workers and patients. Health care workers play pivotal role in waste management. Thus, this training aimed at strengthening the knowledge of participants to improve their practices on Cleanliness, Sanitation & Hygiene and Infection control. Methodology The training was conducted in a tertiary care centre of Patna to assess the improvement in knowledge of nursing officers and sanitary staffs. A total of seven sessions were held for nursing officers and eight sessions for sanitary staffs. The training was attended by 189 nursing staffs and 180 sanitary staffs. Pre and post session assessment of knowledge was done using google forms, different for nursing and sanitary staffs. Results Marked improvement in knowledge related to policy and bio- medical waste segregation was observed in nursing officers except for blood bag and sharp objects. Only 12.8% participants knew about the correct sequence of wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). Also, about 30% of the participants had knowledge of avoiding needle- stick and proper use of multi- dose vial. About 90% of participants knew correct steps of hand- washing following training.