Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee: Pirogov University.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY).
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY).
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Mid-level medical staff professional deficiencies in medical waste management: analysis of educational needs
About authors
Orenburg State Medical University, Orenburg, Russia
Sovetskaya St., 6, Orenburg, 460000, Russia; ur.tsil@aniretakey_avehcylub
About paper
Author contribution: Bulycheva EV — concept of the work, collection and processing of the material, writing of the text, editing and approval of the final text of the article; Lutsay ED — concept of the work, editing and approval of the final text of the article.
Compliance with ethical standards: this study does not need prior approval from the local ethics committee since it does not involve clinical trials, human subjects, or biological research. Data collection was carried out on a voluntary basis, ensuring the complete anonymity of all participants. Prior to the completion of questionnaires, every participant was informed of the purpose of data collection, methods of data processing and storage; all participants provided a voluntary informed consent to take part in the study
Received: 2026-02-28
Accepted: 2026-03-12
Published online: 2026-03-25
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The article presents the results of an empirical study devoted to the assessment of professional competence of mid-level medical staff regarding medical waste management. 356 respondents from medical organizations of the Orenburg region were surveyed to find out the structure of professional deficiencies, to determine the list of the most challenging waste classes, and to establish the priority areas of additional professional education. Challenges in handling regulatory and methodological guidelines yielded an overall difficulty rate of 7.9% (95% CI: 5.3–11.4%), with Class G (toxic) and Class D (radioactive) being identified as the most problematic waste categories. It is explained why the modular continuing professional development programs that take into account the discovered professional deficiencies and specific activity of the nursing personnel should be developed and implemented.
Keywords: continuing medical education, medical wastes, medical waste management, nursing personnel, professional deficiencies, advanced professional education, a nurse