Safe and adequate environmental conditions in health care facilities (HCFs), including the availability of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), waste management, and the availability of standard precaution items (e.g. disposable gloves) are essential to protect and improve the health of patients, health care workers, visitors, and staff. In many low- and middle income countries, the situation on WASH in HCF is deficient, and information and data on gaps remain particularly for Latin American and Caribbean countries.
In response to such information gaps, governments developed the Rural Water and Sanitation Information System to monitor WASH in HCFs, as well as in other non-household, household and community settings. Little analysis of these data has yet been done to present and analyse the situation, and to identify underlying determinants.
Within this research project, we take a comprehensive look at comparable datasets on WASH in HCFs from 11 countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru. Focusing on Peru, we develop an inventory and illustrate the situation across geographies, and analyze the sociocultural and environmental determinants of WASH in HCF conditions. Ultimately, we derive evidence-based recommendations to consider for improved public health-related planning and decision making.
Contact us
If you are interested in learning more about WASH in healthcare facilities, in collaborating on these themes, e.g. by teaming up in research, offering funding opportunities, sharing relevant data, as a key informant or interviewee, please contact us at c.anthonj@utwente.nl (subject: WASH in HCF).
