Avaliação sobre consciência ambiental, comportamento pró-ambiental e qualidade de gerenciamento de resíduos: realidade de um curso médico em uma instituição de ensino superior pública de Alagoas

Abstract

Residue management in healthcare services is crucial. It is a complex system involving multiple stages and different people, from citizens, health professionals and drivers of internal services in healthcare institutions, to specialized professionals in residue management. In this context and scenario, this academic work was carried out as a final course project under the title “Assessment on environmental awareness, pro-environmental behavior and residue management quality in healthcare services: The Reality of a Medical Course in a Public Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Alagoas." The researcher presents the results of the study on the subject in the format of an article and educational product. The first general objective was investigating the relationship between environmental awareness, pro-environmental behavior and residue management in healthcare services (GRSS), among medical students from a public higher education institution in Alagoas. This is an exploratory case study, with descriptiveanalytical and a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 93 medical students. The inclusion criteria was: being enrolled in the medical course of the researched institution; and as exclusion criteria: student transferred from other HEIs and student removed from academic activities. As a data collection instrument, a validated questionnaire was used, entitled “Behavior for Sustainability” (Afonso et al. 2016). The questionnaire was based on theoretical constructsrelated to sustainability, encompassing three dimensions: Environmental Awareness, Pro-Environmental Behavior and Residue Quality management. The Likert-type scale evaluatessix itemsfor each dimension, totaling 18 items. The questionnaire and the TCLE were inserted in Google Forms and sent to the selected students by institutional electronic mail (email). For data analysis, the information was initially grouped in a Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet. Subsequently, the variables were organized in tables. For data description, the following measures were used: absolute frequency (n), relative frequency in percentage (%), avarage, standard deviation (SD), Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The Cronbach's alpha value was 0.5596 for the environmental awareness dimension, indicating a moderate level of internal consistency, while the pro-environmental behavior and residue management dimensions exhibited 0.6571 and 0.715, respectively, indicating a considered substantial level of internal consistency. The results showed that the level of environmental awareness had a positive influence on pro-environmental behavior and on the quality of the GRSS. Pro-environmental behavior exerted a positive influence on the quality of residue management in healthcare services. Fifth year students had a greater positive attitude (statistically significant) towards the dimensions of environmental awareness and proenvironmental behavior than the others, including sixth year students. In this study, there was no statistically significant difference in behavior between female and male students in any dimension. The students’ perception of GRSS quality, across all years, requires curriculum improvement. For greater depth, further qualitative research is suggested to explore existing learning opportunities. The institution's documents proved to be insufficient to materialize the management of solid residue in healthcare. It was concluded that the HEI needs to practice, guide and monitor the GRSS, as well as raise students awareness regarding the disposal of residue generated during practical activities. The students at the researched institution presented concerning attitudes in the dimension of GRSS quality, indicating a need for improvement. The produced Educational Product was a video titled “Generating and Disposing of RSS in a Practical Setting.” The resource aimed to raise awareness among the academic community about their role in the GRSS. The video was built using the Animaker Platform and has a duration of 2'49''. Its contents address the role of the HEI in the GRSS and Situation Simulation of RSS Generation and Disposal. It is expected that this academic work will consolidate itself as an auxiliary resource for improving the curriculum of the medical course of the researched institution.