Effect of a Structured Educational Intervention on Biomedical Waste Management Knowledge among First-Year Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing Students: A One-Group Pre-test–Post-test Study

Abstract

Background: Biomedical waste generated during healthcare activities differs from ordinary domestic waste because a proportion may contain infectious, pathological, sharps, pharmaceutical, chemical, or other hazardous materials. If such waste is not segregated, handled, treated, and disposed of appropriately, it may create occupational, infection-control, and environmental risks. Nurses and nursing students encounter biomedical waste during routine clinical activities and therefore require adequate knowledge of safe management principles.

Objective: To assess biomedical waste management knowledge before and after a structured educational intervention among first-year Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing students and to determine the association between pre-test knowledge and selected demographic variables.

Methods: A quantitative pre-experimental one-group pre-test–post-test design was used among 30 first-year Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing students at Florence Paramedical and Nursing College, Anantnag. A demographic questionnaire and a 30-item structured knowledge questionnaire were used. The intervention was based on the study topic, relevant literature, non-research sources, and expert input, and used a PowerPoint presentation, interactive discussion, and visual materials. Descriptive statistics and a paired-sample analysis were used to compare knowledge scores.

Results: The reported pre-test mean knowledge score was 18.53 ± 3.63, and the post-test mean was 22.63 ± 2.48. The reported mean increase was 4.10 points. The paired analysis reported a statistically significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores (t = 10.79, df = 29, p < 0.001). Significant associations were reported between pre-test knowledge and gender, educational status, and source of knowledge, whereas age, residence, and clinical experience were reported as non-significant.

Conclusion: The findings indicate an improvement in biomedical waste management knowledge following the structured educational intervention. Focused, repeated, and context-specific biomedical waste management education may strengthen nursing students’ preparedness for safe clinical practice. Because the study used a single-group design and a small sample, the findings should be interpreted within the limits of the study setting.