Current status of biomedical waste management practices and barriers among private Jordanian dental clinics: A cross-sectional investigation of the capital Amman

Biomedical waste management (BMWM) is vital in facilitating safe providing of healthcare. Developing countries suffer from the impact of mishandled biomedical waste (BMW) on the general public in addition to healthcare practitioners. Thus, this study aims to investigate the awareness and compliance of dental facilities to BMW regulations. Through a questionnaire designed as per the WHO guidelines on BMWM, we randomly recruited a total of 421 dental facilities representative of Jordan's capital. Mean BMWM practice scores were relatively high for the studied sample (0.748 ± 0.12). Nonetheless, while collection, transportation and storage standards were acceptable, those pertaining to segregation and disposal demonstrated lack of compliance to BMWM safety measures. An alarming number of participants dispose of infectious waste (40%), extracted teeth (48.5%), expired pharmaceuticals (44.4%), liquid chemicals (53.2%), X-ray films (35.0%) and solutions (48.7%) in the general trash or draining system. Such is attributed to either lack of resources, lack of proper equipment or poor awareness with BMWM guidelines. Moreover, it appears that location of the clinic (p < 0.001), occupation (p = 0.026) and presence of regulatory instructions (p = 0.048) were associated with higher BMWM scores. Overall, dental practitioners require proper training in terms of handling hazardous dental, chemical and radioactive wastes. Moreover, regulatory bodies should actively enforce regulations and monitoring, update current compliance legislations and subsidize eco-friendly practices.

Views of university students in Jordan towards Biobanking

Background

Biobanks are considered primary means+ of supporting contemporary research, in order to deliver personalized and precise diagnostics with public acceptance and participation as a cornerstone for their success.

Aims

This study aims to assess knowledge, perception, and attitudes towards biomedical research and biobanking among students at the University of Jordan.

Methodology

An online questionnaire was designed, developed, and piloted. It was divided into 5 sections that included questions related to issues of biomedical research and biobanking as well as factors influencing the decision to participate.

Results

Responses from 435 students revealed that 52.9% previously heard of biobanks. There was an overwhelming acceptance for participation in biomedical, genetic, and biobanking research. A blood sample was the most preferred for donation. Protection of privacy, informed consent prior to donation, approval of an ethics committee, and trust towards researchers were the most important factors associated with willingness to participate. On the other hand, the vagueness of the type of research performed on the biospecimens and the unavailability of general research results to the donor had a negative connotation. There was no clear agreement on the type of informed consent preferred by students, but to be contacted and informed of research results was preferred by the majority. Students also preferred the disposal of biospecimens and information when deciding to withdraw from participation.

Conclusion

There is strong enthusiasm among students to participate in biomedical research and biobanking with all rights reserved thus providing hope for a very promising future in Jordan.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12910-021-00719-y.