Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Diabetic Patients Regarding Sharps Disposal

The present research assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practices of diabetic patients concerning the disposal of sharps in community settings and the factors affecting them by using a validated interview questionnaire. A cross-sectional study was done. Three hundred eighty-four patients were selected by systematic random sampling and interviewed to answer the questionnaire at 2 diabetic centers in Alexandria. We found the respondents had fair knowledge (7.17±2.21 out of 10) and a positive attitude (3.682±0.87 out of 5) towards sharps disposal. However, the majority (95.1%) had poor disposal practices. Only (4.9%) of participants had acceptable disposal techniques through health care facilities. Good knowledge scores were related to high educational level, single marital status, living in an urban area, and being employed. Based on both crude and multivariable regression models, the study found that attitude was influenced by occupation status and that the parameters predicting disposal in healthcare settings were receiving advice from healthcare workers (HCW), knowledge score, and using insulin outside the house. In conclusion, most patients had inappropriate sharps disposal practices. Accordingly, the researchers expect a massive public health problem towards diabetic sharp waste discarding which implied the necessity to implement a proper community sharps disposal program in the future.