scholarly journals Using the Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT) in Zimbabwe: A Cross-Sectional Study of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Services in 50 COVID-19 Isolation Facilities

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 5641
Author(s):  
Mitsuaki Hirai ◽  
Victor Nyamandi ◽  
Charles Siachema ◽  
Nesbert Shirihuru ◽  
Lovemore Dhoba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Isolation Facilities ◽  
Health Care Waste

The availability of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services is a key prerequisite for quality care and infection prevention and control in health care facilities (HCFs). In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance and urgency of enhancing WASH coverage to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission and other healthcare-associated infections. As a part of COVID-19 preparedness and response interventions, the Government of Zimbabwe, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and civil society organizations conducted WASH assessments in 50 HCFs designated as COVID-19 isolation facilities. Assessments were based on the Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT), a multi-step framework to inform the continuous monitoring and improvement of WASH services. The WASH FIT assessments revealed that one in four HCFs did not have adequate services across the domains of water, sanitation, health care waste, hand hygiene, facility environment, cleanliness and disinfection, and management. The sanitation domain had the largest proportion of health care facilities with poor service coverage (42%). Some of the recommendations from this assessment include the provision of sufficient water for all users, Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM)- and disability-friendly sanitation facilities, handwashing facilities, waste collection services, energy for incineration or waste treatment facilities, cleaning supplies, and financial resources for HCFs. WASH FIT may be a useful tool to inform WASH interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

scholarly journals What it takes to save lives: An assessment of water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in temporary COVID-19 isolation and treatment centers of Southern Ethiopia: A mixed-methods evaluation

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256086
Author(s):  
Aiggan Tamene
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Southern Ethiopia ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Care Facilities

Background Quality water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities act as barricades to the transmission of COVID-19 in health care facilities. These facilities ought to also be available, accessible, and functional in temporary treatment centers. Despite numerous studies on health care facilities, however, there is limited information on the status of WASH facilities in such centers. Methods The assessment of health care facilities for the COVID-19 response checklist and key informant interviews, were used for data collection. 35 treatment centers in Southern Ethiopia were surveyed. Eightkey informants were interviewed to gain an understanding of the WASH conditions in the treatment centers. The Quantitative data was entered using EPI-INFO 7 and exported to SPSS 20 for analysis. Results are presented using descriptive statistics. Open Code 4.02 was used for the thematic analysis of the qualitative data. Results Daily water supply interruptions occurred at 27 (77.1%) of the surveyed sites. Only 30 (85.72%) had bathrooms that were segregated for personnel and patients, and only 3 (3.57%) had toilets that were handicapped accessible. 20(57.2%) of the treatment centers did not have a hand hygiene protocol that satisfied WHO guidelines. In terms of infection prevention and control, 16 (45.71%) of the facilities lacked adequate personal protective equipment stocks. Between urban and rural areas, there was also a significant difference in latrine maintenance, hand hygiene protocol design and implementation, and incineration capacity. Conclusion The results reveal crucial deficiencies in the provision of WASH in the temporary COVID-19 treatment centers. Efforts to improve WASH should offer priority to hygiene service interventions to minimize the risk of healthcare-acquired infections. The sustainable provision of hygiene services, such as hand washing soap, should also be given priority.

scholarly journals Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Service Availability at Rural Health Care Facilities in Southwestern Uganda

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Mugema Mulogo ◽  
Micheal Matte ◽  
Andrew Wesuta ◽  
Fred Bagenda ◽  
Richard Apecu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Centre ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Hand Washing ◽  
Service Availability ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Improved Sanitation ◽  
Southwestern Uganda

There is a paucity of information on the state of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) at health care facilities in Uganda. A survey on WASH service availability was conducted at 50 health care facilities across 4 districts of rural southwestern Uganda between September and November 2015. The main water points at the majority (94%) of the health care facilities were improved sources, while improved toilets were available at 96% of the health care facilities visited. Hospitals had the poorest toilet to patient ratio (1 : 63). Only 38% of the health care facilities had hand washing facilities at the toilets. The lack of hand washing facilities was most prominent at the level IV health centre toilets (71%). Hand washing facilities were available at other points within most (76%) of the health care facilities. However, both water and soap were present at only 24% of these health care facilities. The poor toilet to patient/caregiver ratios particularly in the high volume health care facilities calls for the provision of cheaper options for improved sanitation in these settings. Priority should also be given to the sustainable provision of hygiene amenities such as soap for hand washing particularly the high patient volume health care facilities, in this case the level IV health centres and hospitals.

scholarly journals Towards Climate Resilient and Environmentally Sustainable Health Care Facilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (23) ◽  
pp. 8849
Author(s):  
Carlos Corvalan ◽  
Elena Villalobos Prats ◽  
Aderita Sena ◽  
Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum ◽  
Josh Karliner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Health Care Facility ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Sustainable Health ◽  
Health Care Waste

The aim of building climate resilient and environmentally sustainable health care facilities is: (a) to enhance their capacity to protect and improve the health of their target communities in an unstable and changing climate; and (b) to empower them to optimize the use of resources and minimize the release of pollutants and waste into the environment. Such health care facilities contribute to high quality of care and accessibility of services and, by helping reduce facility costs, also ensure better affordability. They are an important component of universal health coverage. Action is needed in at least four areas which are fundamental requirements for providing safe and quality care: having adequate numbers of skilled human resources, with decent working conditions, empowered and informed to respond to these environmental challenges; sustainable and safe management of water, sanitation and health care waste; sustainable energy services; and appropriate infrastructure and technologies, including all the operations that allow for the efficient functioning of a health care facility. Importantly, this work contributes to promoting actions to ensure that health care facilities are constantly and increasingly strengthened and continue to be efficient and responsive to improve health and contribute to reducing inequities and vulnerability within their local settings. To this end, we propose a framework to respond to these challenges.

Biomedical Waste Management

2016 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Biljana Shikoska ◽  
Cena Dimova ◽  
Gjorgji Schumanov ◽  
Vlado Vankovski
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Waste ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Blood Banks ◽  
Dental Practices ◽  
Research Facilities ◽  
Health Care Waste ◽  
Poor Management

Abstract Medical waste is all waste material generated in health care facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, physician’s offices, dental practices, blood banks, and veterinary hospitals/ clinics, as well as medical research facilities and laboratories. Poor management of health care waste potentially exposes health care workers, waste handlers, patients and the community at large to infection, toxic effects and injuries, and risks polluting the environment. It is essential that all medical waste materials have to be segregated at the point of generation, appropriately treated and disposed of safety.

Social Work with Ambulatory Clients: The Wayfinding Domain

1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-306
Author(s):  
Brennen Taylor ◽  
Ann Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Ambulatory Services

Wayfinding services help ambulatory clients develop skills to travel independently to health care facilities. The authors review social work's contribution to ambulatory clients through wayfinding training. They assert that wayfinding services promote client compliance with ambulatory services and discuss wayfinding guidelines for travel between health facility and home.

scholarly journals A Novel Method for Defining Health Facility Catchment Areas in a Low Income Country

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Zinszer ◽  
Ruth Kigozi ◽  
Katia Charland ◽  
Dr. Grant Dorsey ◽  
Dr. Moses Kamya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Statistical Measure ◽  
Low Income Country ◽  
Catchment Areas ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Administrative Units

The catchment areas of six health-care facilities in Uganda were determined using the cumulative case ratio: the ratio of the observed to expected utilization of a facility for a particular condition by patients from small administrative areas. Our approach is simple, reproducible, and is based on a statistical measure to decide which administrative units should be included in catchment areas. 

scholarly journals Improving water, sanitation and hygiene in health-care facilities, Liberia

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (7) ◽  
pp. 526-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nana Mensah Abrampah ◽  
Maggie Montgomery ◽  
April Baller ◽  
Francis Ndivo ◽  
Alex Gasasira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Care Facilities
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