Correlation between knowledge and medical waste management practices of puskesmas officers in Medan City

Health care industry has contributed to the increasing amount of medical waste. It is very important for health care providers to have the necessary knowledge to practice medical waste management. The study aims to determine the correlation between knowledge and solid medical waste management practices by city health center (puskesmas) officers in Medan City in 2021. This study was an analytical observational study and was collected using questionnaires to 41 puskesmas officers in Medan City, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The independent variable was knowledge of puskesmas officer in solid medical waste management and the dependent variable was practice of puskesmas officer in solid medical waste management. The result is there are puskesmas officers who have less knowledge and less practice as many as 2 respondents (4,9%), puskesmas officers who have less knowledge and good practice as many as 6 respondents (14,6%), puskesmas officers who have good knowledge and good practice as many as 1 respondent (2,4%), and puskesmas officers who have good knowledge and good practice as many as 32 respondents (78%). The results of the statistical test obtained a p-value of 0.032, so there is correlation between the level of knowledge and solid medical waste management practices at puskesmas in Medan City in 2021. To improve knowledge and practice of medical waste management, it is recommended for puskesmas officers to attend training and implement the standard operating procedures and for the government, it is recommended for carrying out training, providing adequate temporary disposal sites, and supervising medical waste management.