Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward biomedical waste management among health professionals in a tertiary care center, Vadodara, Gujarat

Introduction: Biomedical waste (BMW) generated in healthcare facilities poses serious occupational and environmental hazards if not managed properly. Effective waste segregation and disposal are vital for infection control and sustainability in healthcare institutions.Aim: To assess the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) of healthcare professionals toward BMW management in a tertiary care hospital in Vadodara, Gujarat.Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, interns, and faculty using a structured, pre-validated questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were applied to summarize KAP scores, expressed as frequencies, percentages, and mean ± standard deviation.Results: Of the 150 participants, 98 (65.3%) demonstrated adequate knowledge, 116 (77.3%) exhibited a positive attitude, and 85 (56.7%) reported good biomedical waste management practices. Resident doctors showed higher knowledge scores (76%) compared to other professional categories. The mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 7.0 ± 1.3, 7.8 ± 1.2, and 6.9 ± 1.4, respectively. Only 84 participants (56%) had attended biomedical waste management training within the preceding six months. Identified challenges included inadequate supervision, insufficient labeling, and limited availability of color-coded bins.Conclusion: Although healthcare professionals demonstrated satisfactory knowledge and favorable attitudes toward biomedical waste management, suboptimal practices were observed, indicating a gap between awareness and implementation. Regular refresher training, improved infrastructure, clear visual guidance, and strict enforcement of Biomedical Waste Management Rules (2016; amended 2018 and 2019) are essential to strengthen safe waste handling practices in healthcare settings.