Assessment of Health Care Waste Management Practices among Healthcare Workers in Doma LGC, Nassarawa State, Nigeria

This study assessed healthcare waste management practices among healthcare workers in Doma Local Government Area, Nassarawa State, Nigeria, examining the methods, challenges, and impacts of waste handling in healthcare facilities. Employing a cross-sectional design, the study surveyed healthcare workers using a semi-structured questionnaire to capture data on demographic characteristics, waste generation types, disposal methods, training, and formal waste management policies. Findings reveal that most respondents are well educated, with 89.36% holding tertiary qualifications, and most have substantial work experience, predominantly between five and seven years. Infectious waste emerged as the most commonly generated category (50.7%), followed by non-infectious (25.77%) and hazardous waste (14.57%). Although segregation and disposal (51.82%) are the primary methods, many facilities still rely on burning and burying (27.73%) practices that raise environmental concerns. Concern worthy, while 90.76% of healthcare workers reported receiving training on proper waste management, only 10.92% confirmed the existence of formal policies or guidelines, with 60.78% indicating their absence. This policy gap, coupled with limited government support, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient resources, compromises effective waste management and increases public health risks. Negative impacts include environmental degradation, heightened risk of disease outbreaks, and injuries among healthcare workers. The study concludes that despite high levels of individual training and experience, systemic shortcomings, particularly the lack of standardised policies and infrastructural support, hamper optimal waste management. It recommends that policymakers prioritise developing and enforcing comprehensive waste management policies, improving resource allocation, and investing in modern disposal technologies to safeguard public health and the environment.

Healthcare, Waste, Management, Assessment

1. Abah, S. O., & Ohimain, E. I. (2019). Healthcare waste management in Nigeria: A case study. Waste Management & Research, 37(8), 754-764. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X19861254 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Aborode, A. T., Bolarinwa, O. A., & Egbuabor, I. G. (2022). Healthcare waste management & occupational health risks in Nigeria: A systematic review. Journal of Environmental Health, 84(6), 14-23. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Adegboye, M. A., Adejumo, A. O., & Afolabi, A. O. (2021). Needle-stick injuries & sharps waste management practices among healthcare workers in Nigeria. African Journal of Public Health, 15(2), 100-108. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Adeyemi, S. A., Balogun, O. A., & Adebayo, T. O. (2019). Healthcare waste management challenges in low- & middle‐income countries: A systematic review. Journal of Environmental Health, 81(3), 45–52. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Afesi-Dei, C., Appiah-Brempong, M., & Awuah, E. (2023). Health-care waste management practices: The case of Ho Teaching Hospital in Ghana. Heliyon, 9(4), e15514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15514 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Afolabi, A. A., Abimbola, O. P., & Oyebadejo, S. A. (2020). Challenges & prospects of healthcare waste management in Nigeria. Journal of Environmental Health Science, 42(3), 124-135. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Amoah, P. A., Boateng, R., & Mensah, K. (2013). Environmental impacts of healthcare waste disposal: A case study in urban hospitals. International Journal of Waste Management, 9(2), 100–110. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Aniefiok, U., Etim, E., & Idorenyin, A. (2020). Challenges & prospects of healthcare waste management in Nigeria. International Journal of Environmental Science & Technology, 17(4), 2001–2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-019-02445-7 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Gautam, R. K., Shrestha, B., & Singh, R. (2016). Education & waste management practices in hospitals: Correlating knowledge with behaviour. Journal of Hospital Administration, 5(1), 12–18. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Kumar, V., Singh, A., & Patel, M. (2015). Healthcare waste disposal practices: Issues, challenges, & opportunities for improvement. Journal of Health Management, 17(4), 600–607. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Martins, L. O., da Silva, R. M., & Pereira, J. A. (2018). Institutional policies & their role in effective healthcare waste management. Journal of Public Health Policy, 39(2), 223–230. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Mendoza, A. G., Torres, M. C., & Reyes, J. P. (2017). The influence of work experience on healthcare waste management: Evidence from hospital settings. Waste Management & Research, 35(8), 761–768. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Oduro-Kwarteng, S., Addai, R., & Ess&oh, H. M. (2021). Healthcare waste characteristics & management in Kumasi, Ghana. Scientific African, 12, e00784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2021.e00784 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Okafor, E. N., Uche, C. G., & Nwankwo, U. J. (2019). The impact of policy on healthcare waste management: A Nigerian perspective. African Journal of Environmental Science, 15(3), 200–209. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Oketokun, F. O., Adeyemo, O. A., & Bamidele, F. S. (2021). Barriers to effective healthcare waste management in Nigeria. African Journal of Health Sciences, 30(1), 45-60. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Oladele, A. O., Adekunle, A. S., & Olatunde, F. O. (2017). Educational levels & waste management practices among healthcare workers in urban hospitals. Journal of Medical Education, 12(1), 45–52. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Olowookere, S. A., Adeleke, O. A., & Awotidebe, A. (2020). Challenges in managing sharps waste in Nigerian healthcare facilities. Public Health Research & Practice, 30(4), 441-452. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Oyekale, A. S., & Oyekale, T. O. (2017). Healthcare waste management practices & safety indicators in Nigeria. BMC Public Health, 17(1), 740. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4794-6 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Rizan, C., Bhutta, M. F., Reed, M., & Lillywhite, R. (2021). The carbon footprint of waste streams in a UK hospital. Journal of Cleaner Production, 286, 125446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125446 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Sharma, P., Gupta, S., & Reddy, K. (2018). Assessing the influence of professional experience on healthcare waste management practices. Journal of Healthcare Administration, 4(2), 34–40. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Singh, R., & Sharma, P. (2018). Barriers to effective healthcare waste management in resource-limited settings. Waste Management Journal, 30(5), 450–457. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. WHO (2014). Safe management of wastes from health-care activities (2nd ed.). World Health Organisation. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. WHO (2018). Safe management of wastes from health-care activities: A summary. WHO Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. WHO (2020). Health-Care Waste. World Health Organisation. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/health-care-waste [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Seasonal Variations of Some Physico-Chemical Parameters of Ramsagar Dighi, Dinajpur, Bangladesh
• Why Pollution Endures: Geographic Foundations of Environmental Crisis in Russia’s Industrial Heartlands
• Occurrence of Microplastics in Hijo River Sediments, Davao Region, Philippines
• Assessing the Contribution of Microfinance to Women’s Economic Empowerment in Rural Bangladesh Author Details
• Waste-To-Energy: A Strategy for Urban Sprawl Management in Enugu Metropolis, South East, Nigeria