Measuring environmental sustainability concerns for medical waste management through scale development and validation

Medical waste management (MWM) is a vital component in reducing health hazards and enhancing environmental sustainability. The current study seeks to create and test an extensive scale for measuring environmental sustainability concerns in MWM. Focusing on a mixed-method approach, the development of the scale included thematic analysis of literature, expert interviews, item generation, and validation using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Data were collected from 243 physicians in Kanpur, providing context-specific insights, with the sample size adequate for analysis. A five-factor model, i.e., awareness and knowledge, compliance and practices, institutional support and policies, waste segregation and handling, and training and capacity building, was identified through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Hypothesis testing demonstrated that Compliance and practices (β = 0.406, p < 0.001) and Waste Segregation and Handling (β = 0.338, p < 0.001) have a significant impact on environmental sustainability concerns. The research emphasizes strategic intervention and policy enforcement to increase MWM practice in healthcare facilities. The scale, having been tested and validated, can be used as a diagnostic instrument by policymakers and practitioners to promote better sustainable waste management systems. Findings advance theory by linking physicians’ environmental concerns to their compliance with sustainable medical waste management practices.