IMPACT OF TRAINING PROGRAM ON BIOMEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT ON THE KNOWLEDGEOF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, HIMACHAL PRADESH

Background:Bio medical waste means any waste, generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunisation of human beings or animals or in research or in health camps testing. The Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, notified BMW management and handling rules on March 28,1998 under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.Therules were revised and published in 2016 and amendments were added in 2018 and 2019. Material and Methods: A hospital-based study was conducted to assess the impact of trainings conducted by Department of Microbiology in improving knowledge about BMWM rules at a tertiary care government hospital from August 2022 to September 2023 over a period of one year. For each training, a structured questionnaire comprising of 25 questions was constructed and an individual pre- and post-test questionnaire wasadministered to participants before and after imparting the structured training. Results:A total of 119 HCWs were imparted training. Out of all participants in the training program,36.9% were staff nurses, 26%were safaikaramchari, 16.8% were doctors, 13.4%were ward attendants, 3.3% were ward sisters and 3.3%were OTAs. The pre-and post-test scores of different groups showed a statistically significant difference in knowledge regarding BMW rules. (P < 0.05). Conclusion: We conclude that the training programs are very effective in enhancing the knowledge of participants regarding rules. So repeated training on BMWM is the only way ahead.