A multicentric research on the perception of resident doctors regarding medical waste management and its legislation

Abstract

Medical waste, which falls under the hazardous waste category, requires more attention in terms of its management. Knowledge and proper implementation of medical waste management in hospitals is the responsibility of the entire staff. Resident doctors occupy a unique position, as they are primarily members of the academic community, where they receive their theoretical training, but they are also considered employees of the hospital during their residency, where they do their practical training. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire administered to 177 medical residents from two residency training centers in Romania. The questionnaire aimed to (i) assess their knowledge of medical waste management and the legal requirements involved, and (ii) analyze the role of higher education institutions in training medical residents on proper medical waste management. The conclusions drawn from the study highlight negative aspects of the attitudes and training of resident doctors in medical waste management. More than half of the respondents: are not familiar with the general regulation in medical waste management (53.01%) and disposal (64.97%); did not feel prepared for proper medical waste management (66.1%); accumulated a limited amount of knowledge during their academic training (67.23%), and a large majority (89.26%) affirm that is necessary a specific training in medical school. Further research is needed to identify ways to improve the training of medical students and rezident doctors in medical waste management.