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Healthcare associated infections (HAI) are estimated to affect up to 15% of hospital inpatients in low-income countries (LICs). A critical but often neglected aspect of HAI prevention is basic environmental hygiene, particularly surface cleaning and linen management. TEACH CLEAN is an educational intervention aimed at improving environmental hygiene. The authors evaluated the effectiveness of this intervention in a pilot study in three high-volume maternity and newborn units in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Study of 894 mothers' place of delivery, sociodemographic and economic factors and facility WASH status for the catchment area of two private hospitals in Uganda.

This literature review consists 110 published articles, reports, and case studies from  scientific journals and grey literature that specifically focus on water, sanitation, hygiene, cleaning, and waste management in healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries. They are organized by prevailing theme.

Infections acquired during labour and delivery are a significant cause of maternal and child morbidity and mortality. Adherence to hand hygiene protocols is a critical component of infection prevention strategies, but few studies have closely examined the hand hygiene of health care providers with sufficient detail to understand infection risks and prioritize prevention strategies. : This observational study was conducted in six healthcare facilities in Nigeria. In each, five women were observed from the onset of labour through to delivery of the placenta. Hand hygiene infection risk was estimated for all procedures requiring aseptic technique compared against adherence to proper hand hygiene protocol and potential recontamination events. This study highlights that hand hygiene remains a barrier to delivering high-quality and safe care in health facilities. Improving hygiene practices during labour and delivery will require strategies that extend beyond infrastructure provision.

A summary of a lunchtime session held at UNC (October 2019). The goal of this lunch session was to appraise the “state of the evidence” on WASH in HCF following the first research meeting in 2016 and revisit which research topics which should be prioritized for future research. The meeting report from the 2016 research meeting, can be found at: https://www.washinhcf.org/resource/global-meeting2016-research-needs-london/

An analysis of antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic consumption worldwide versus many potential contributing factors.

Routine use of the WASH FIT tool coupled with WASH infrastructure improvements can lead to better IPC practices.

Meeting report from the 2016 global meeting on WASH in HCF held in London, UK.

A systematic review looking at water sources, reservoirs, and transmission routes that lead to nosocomial waterborne infections in neonates and their mothers.

A study to establish the volume of water required for hand hygiene during childbirth in low income countries