KNOWLEDGE GAINS IN BIOMEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT FOLLOWING A SINGLE FOCUSED DIDACTIC LECTURE: A STANDARDIZED CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN MEDICAL UNDERGRADUATES

Abstract

Introduction:

Competency in Biomedical Waste Management (BMWM) is critical for institutional compliance and minimizing infection risk, aligning with national standards such as India's BMWM Rules, 2016. Despite this mandate, persistent knowledge gaps are prevalent among undergraduate medical students. This study aimed to quantify the immediate change in BMWM knowledge following a focused didactic lecture and identify specific areas of improvement.

Methodology:

A quasi-experimental single-group pre-test–post-test design was used with an enrolment of 73 3rd-year medical students. This intervention consisted of a Pre-test (17-item questionnaire) followed by a focused didactic lecture followed by a same given before lecture session.17-item questionnaire administered across five domains of practice: Waste Categorization; Colour-Coding; Disposal Methods; Regulatory Facts. Statistical analysis included paired t-tests and Cohen’s d (effect size) by using SPSS software version: 25

Results:

The average knowledge increased widely, and it was highly significant. The mean score increased from 7.64±3.10 (44.9% accuracy) in the pre-test to 11.08±2.15 (65.2% accuracy) in the post-test. The overall mean improvement of 3.44 points gave a Very Large Effect Size (Cohen's d=1.46; p<0.001). The largest domain gain occurred for Waste Categorization (36.17% increase). By contrast, abstract Regulatory Facts knowledge did not significantly improve (p=0.619). While the improvement was impressive, only 16.4% of students achieved the professional competency threshold (≥80% score) on post-test, up from 5.5% on pre-test.

Conclusion:

A single focused didactic lecture can indeed have an effect for enhancing basic BMWM knowledge among medical students but it does not raise to the high level of mastery needed for safe clinical practice. The low final competency rate (83.6% failure to attain ≥80% score) underscores the need for a continuing education strategy that involves constant assessments of practical skills as well as experiential reinforcement, particularly addressing complex disposal procedures and regulatory compliance details.