Abstract
BACKGROUND There is always a discrepancy in the demand of pharmaceuticals in public hospitals and their ultimate utilisation leading to pharmaceutical waste. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices on safe disposal of pharmaceutical waste at Namibia’s two teaching hospitals; Windhoek Central hospital and Katutura hospital among medical, dental and pharmacy interns. METHODS The research data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) with closed-ended questions. A non-probability convenience sampling strategy was used to select the study participants. RESULTS The interns were more likely to indicate pathological waste, anatomical waste and pharmaceutical waste as the main type of hospital medical waste, COR 1.47, 95% CI (0.58 – 3.74) and COR 1.09, 95%CI (0.69 – 1.70) respectively, 79% did not know the main type waste produced within the hospital. The interns were more likely to indicate contaminated products: COR 3.25, 95% CI (1.75 – 6.00) and unusable products COR 3.27, 95% CI (1.63 – 6.56), as the main reasons why the hospital generate pharmaceutical waste. The interns did not believe that pharmaceutical waste management is teamwork: COR 10.96, 95% CI (1.35 – 89.22). Interns viewed safe management of pharmaceutical waste as an extra burden of work COR 3.75, 95% CI (0.77 – 18.36), while they as well did not believe that continued education programs to upgrade existing knowledge about waste management should be installed: COR 1.92, 95% CI (0.17 – 21.40), 48.8% of the respondents were undecided on whether the issue of pharmaceutical waste is of great importance in public health. The interns find it less important to inform patients and their families about how to dispose unused or expired medicines: COR 0.88, 95% CI (0.61 – 1.27), 53% of the interns did acknowledge their role on pharmaceutical waste management within the hospital though they indicated that they are more prepared to sometimes participate in taking responsibility regarding the collection of pharmaceutical waste: COR 13.60, 95% CI (7.16 – 25.85). CONCLUSIONS Limited knowledge on hospital pharmaceutical waste disposal was evident amongst the respondents. There is need to sensitize health care workers on proper and safe hospital pharmaceutical waste disposal, so as to avoid associated environmental hazards.
M.A. (Public Health)