Comparison of Awareness of Biomedical Waste Management Among Operation Theater Personnel

Abstract

Background: Biomedical waste generated in hospitals poses substantial risks to healthcare personnel, patients, and the environment when it is not properly segregated, disinfected, and disposed of. Operation theaters are among the major contributors to hospital biomedical waste because of the frequent use of sharps, plastics, and disposable materials. Objective: To compare awareness regarding biomedical waste management among operation theater personnel working in two tertiary care hospitals. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Kiran International Hospital and the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, from 4 June to 10 August 2025. A total of 148 operation theater personnel were recruited through purposive sampling, with equal representation of nurses, doctors, operation theater technicians, and sweepers. Data were collected using a structured, validated, and pre-tested questionnaire assessing awareness across waste receptacles, segregation of waste, mutilation of recyclable waste, and disinfection of plastics and sharps. Data were analyzed in SPSS using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and Bonferroni post hoc testing. Results: Mean awareness scores were 1.51 ± 0.28 for waste receptacles, 1.47 ± 0.25 for segregation of waste, 1.52 ± 0.31 for mutilation of recyclable waste, and 1.42 ± 0.36 for disinfection of plastics and sharps. No statistically significant differences were observed by age, gender, or years of experience across the studied domains (p > 0.05). A significant difference was observed by professional designation for disinfection of plastics and sharps, F(3,144) = 6.560, p < 0.001, with nurses and operation theater technicians scoring higher than doctors and sweepers in selected pairwise comparisons. Conclusion: Awareness of biomedical waste management was generally satisfactory and comparable across most domains; however, significant designation-based variation in disinfection of plastics and sharps indicates the need for targeted role-specific training in operation theater settings