Aims : We held a workshop for nurses on the proper method of disposal of medical waste and reviewed the current ways adopted for waste disposal. Then, we studied the effects of the workshop on the amount of medical waste and the nurses' knowledge of medical waste disposal.
Materials and Methods : We held the workshop for 64 nurses at Hospital A and changed the method of classifying medical waste at this hospital, where all medical waste was treated as infectious waste. We, therefore, provided instructions for dividing the waste into three types : infectious waste, industrial waste and general waste. Then, we evaluated the effect of the workshop on the amount of infectious waste and the nurses' knowledge of it medical waste disposal.
Result : The average score in a test on waste classification increased from 9.0 (SD3.6) to 10.9 (SD3.1). (P<0.001) -on a maximum score of 14. Also, the amount of infectious waste decreased.
Conclusion : The workshop increased the knowledge of the nurses on the classification of medical waste, and changing the method of classifying medical waste decreased the amount of infectious waste.
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