Awareness about Ban on Single-use Plastic Items among Nursing Professionals: A Cross-sectional Survey

Introduction: The government hospitals work round the clock and huge single-use non biodegradable plastic materials are used by patients, their attendants, staff and the public at large for their day-to-day activities. Therefore, awareness among the healthcare workers is essential for the full implementation of the policy of ban on single-use plastic items.

Aim: To study the awareness regarding ban on single-use plastic items among nursing professionals.

Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study done on nursing professionals across all seniority and from various specialty departments. Overall, 550 nursing professionals were included in the study. A pretested questionnaire, comprising 16 questions, was used as a study tool. Chi-square test was applied for studying the significant association among different variables.

Results: The response rate was 91% i.e., out of total 550 nursing professionals 498 participated in the study. It was observed that 37.4% of participants were in the 31-40 years age group, 95% were females, 90.6% were married and 90.4% were from the urban area. It was found that the mean knowledge score of three knowledge questions (mean=1.120, SE=0.032, SD=0.715, 95% CI=1.057-1.183) was higher among females, unmarried staff and respondents with a rural background. Primarily, majority of the nursing staff (i.e., 82%) had learned about the ban on single-use plastic from television and newspaper rather than formal teaching/training.

Conclusion: The hospitals should start regular formal teaching/training programme for increasing awareness of healthcare workers regarding ban of single-use plastic items. Thus, it is relevant to address this issue through well-planned formal training sessions.