Development and application of tools to cost the delivery of environmental health services in healthcare facilities: a financial analysis in urban Malawi.

BACKGROUND: Environmental health services (EHS) in healthcare facilities (HCFs) are critical for providing a safe, functional healthcare environment, but little is known about their costs. Poor understanding of costs impedes progress towards universal access of EHS in HCFs. We developed frameworks of essential expenses required to provide EHS and conducted an ex-post financial analysis of EHS in a network of medical research and training facilities in Lilongwe, Malawi, serving an estimated 42,000 patients annually through seven outpatient buildings. METHODS: We estimated the cost of providing the following EHS: water, sanitation, hygiene, personal protective equipment use at the point of care, waste management, cleaning, laundry, and vector control. We developed frameworks of essential outputs and inputs for each EHS through review of international guidelines and standards, which we used to identify expenses required for EHS delivery and evaluate the completeness of costs data in our case study. For costing, we use a mixed-methods approach, applying qualitative interviews to understand facility context and review of electronic records to determine costs. We calculated initial costs to establish EHS and annual operations and maintenance. RESULTS: Available records contained little information on the upfront, capital costs associated with establishing EHS. Annual operations and maintenance totaled USD 220,427 for all EHS across all facilities (USD 5.21 per patient encounter), although costs of many essential inputs were missing from records. Annual operations and maintenance costs were highest for cleaning (USD 69,372) and waste management (USD 46,752). DISCUSSION: Missing expenses suggests that documented costs are substantial underestimates. Costs to establish services were missing predominantly because purchases pre-dated electronic records. Annual operations and maintenance costs were incomplete primarily because administrative records did not record sufficient detail to disaggregate and attribute expenses. CONCLUSIONS: Electronic health information systems have potential to support efficient data collection. However, we found that existing records systems were decentralized and poorly suited to identify EHS costs. Our research suggests a need to better code and disaggregate EHS expenses to properly leverage records for costing. Frameworks developed in this study are a potential tool to develop more accurate estimates of the cost of providing EHS in HCFs.

Application of tools to monitor environmental conditions, identify exposures, and inform decision-making to improve infection prevention and control practices in Malawian maternity wards.

Healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) contribute to maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Deficient environmental health (EH) conditions and infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in healthcare facilities (HCFs) contribute to the spread of HAIs, but microbial sampling of sources of contamination is rarely conducted nor reported in low-resource settings. The purpose of this study was to assess EH conditions and IPC practices in Malawian HCFs and evaluate how EH deficiencies contribute to pathogen exposures and HAIs, and to provide recommendations to inform improvements in EH conditions using a mixed-methods approach. Thirty-one maternity wards in government-run HCFs were surveyed in the three regions of Malawi. Questionnaires were administered in parallel with structured observations of EH conditions and IPC practices and microbial testing of water sources and facility surfaces. Results indicated significant associations between IPC practices and microbial contamination. Facilities where separate wards were not available for mothers and newborns with infections and where linens were not used for patients during healthcare services were more likely to have delivery tables with surface contamination (relative risk = 2.23; 1.49, 3.34). E. coli was detected in water samples from seven (23%) HCFs. Our results suggest that Malawian maternity wards could reduce microbial contamination, and potentially reduce the occurrence of HAIs, by improving EH conditions and IPC practices. HCF staff can use the simple, low-cost EH monitoring methods used in this study to incorporate microbial monitoring of EH conditions and IPC practices in HCFs in low-resource settings.

Factors Influencing Water System Functionality in Nigeria and Tanzania: A Regression and Bayesian Network Analysis.

Sufficient, safe, and continuously available water services are important for human development and health yet many water systems in low- and middle-income countries are nonfunctional. Monitoring data were analyzed using regression and Bayesian networks (BNs) to explore factors influencing the functionality of 82 503 water systems in Nigeria and Tanzania. Functionality varied by system type. In Tanzania, Nira handpumps were more functional than Afridev and India Mark II handpumps. Higher functionality was associated with fee collection in Nigeria. In Tanzania, functionality was higher if fees were collected monthly rather than in response to system breakdown. Systems in Nigeria were more likely to be functional if they were used for both human and livestock consumption. In Tanzania, systems managed by private operators were more functional than community-managed systems. The BNs found strong dependencies between functionality and system type and administrative unit (e.g., district). The BNs predicted functionality increased from 68% to 89% in Nigeria and from 53% to 68% in Tanzania when best observed conditions were in place. Improvements to water system monitoring and analysis of monitoring data with different modeling techniques may be useful for identifying water service improvement opportunities and informing evidence-based decision-making for better management, policy, programming, and practice.

Understanding handpump sustainability: Determinants of rural water source functionality in the Greater Afram Plains region of Ghana.

Safe drinking water is critical to human health and development. In rural sub-Saharan Africa, most improved water sources are boreholes with handpumps; studies suggest that up to one third of these handpumps are nonfunctional at any given time. This work presents findings from a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from 1509 water sources in 570 communities in the rural Greater Afram Plains (GAP) region of Ghana; one of the largest studies of its kind. 79.4% of enumerated water sources were functional when visited; in multivariable regressions, functionality depended on source age, management, tariff collection, the number of other sources in the community, and the district. A Bayesian network (BN) model developed using the same data set found strong dependencies of functionality on implementer, pump type, management, and the availability of tools, with synergistic effects from management determinants on functionality, increasing the likelihood of a source being functional from a baseline of 72% to more than 97% with optimal management and available tools. We suggest that functionality may be a dynamic equilibrium between regular breakdowns and repairs, with management a key determinant of repair rate. Management variables may interact synergistically in ways better captured by BN analysis than by logistic regressions. These qualitative findings may prove generalizable beyond the study area, and may offer new approaches to understanding and increasing handpump functionality and safe water access.

Fecal contamination of drinking-water in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Access to safe drinking-water is a fundamental requirement for good health and is also a human right. Global access to safe drinking-water is monitored by WHO and UNICEF using as an indicator "use of an improved source," which does not account for water quality measurements. Our objectives were to determine whether water from "improved" sources is less likely to contain fecal contamination than "unimproved" sources and to assess the extent to which contamination varies by source type and setting. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Studies in Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish were identified from online databases, including PubMed and Web of Science, and grey literature. Studies in low- and middle-income countries published between 1990 and August 2013 that assessed drinking-water for the presence of Escherichia coli or thermotolerant coliforms (TTC) were included provided they associated results with a particular source type. In total 319 studies were included, reporting on 96,737 water samples. The odds of contamination within a given study were considerably lower for "improved" sources than "unimproved" sources (odds ratio [OR] = 0.15 [0.10-0.21], I2 = 80.3% [72.9-85.6]). However over a quarter of samples from improved sources contained fecal contamination in 38% of 191 studies. Water sources in low-income countries (OR = 2.37 [1.52-3.71]; p<0.001) and rural areas (OR = 2.37 [1.47-3.81] p<0.001) were more likely to be contaminated. Studies rarely reported stored water quality or sanitary risks and few achieved robust random selection. Safety may be overestimated due to infrequent water sampling and deterioration in quality prior to consumption. CONCLUSION: Access to an "improved source" provides a measure of sanitary protection but does not ensure water is free of fecal contamination nor is it consistent between source types or settings. International estimates therefore greatly overstate use of safe drinking-water and do not fully reflect disparities in access. An enhanced monitoring strategy would combine indicators of sanitary protection with measures of water quality.

Global assessment of exposure to faecal contamination through drinking water based on a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate exposure to faecal contamination through drinking water as indicated by levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) or thermotolerant coliform (TTC) in water sources. METHODS: We estimated coverage of different types of drinking water source based on household surveys and censuses using multilevel modelling. Coverage data were combined with water quality studies that assessed E. coli or TTC including those identified by a systematic review (n = 345). Predictive models for the presence and level of contamination of drinking water sources were developed using random effects logistic regression and selected covariates. We assessed sensitivity of estimated exposure to study quality, indicator bacteria and separately considered nationally randomised surveys. RESULTS: We estimate that 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water which suffers from faecal contamination, of these 1.1 billion drink water that is of at least 'moderate' risk (>10 E. coli or TTC per 100 ml). Data from nationally randomised studies suggest that 10% of improved sources may be 'high' risk, containing at least 100 E. coli or TTC per 100 ml. Drinking water is found to be more often contaminated in rural areas (41%, CI: 31%-51%) than in urban areas (12%, CI: 8-18%), and contamination is most prevalent in Africa (53%, CI: 42%-63%) and South-East Asia (35%, CI: 24%-45%). Estimates were not sensitive to the exclusion of low quality studies or restriction to studies reporting E. coli. CONCLUSIONS: Microbial contamination is widespread and affects all water source types, including piped supplies. Global burden of disease estimates may have substantially understated the disease burden associated with inadequate water services.

Does WASH FIT improve water, sanitation, and hygiene and related health impacts in healthcare facilities? A systematic review.

Introduction: Environmental health services (e.g., water, sanitation, hygiene, cleaning, waste management) in healthcare facilities are important to improve health outcomes and strengthen health systems, but coverage gaps remain. The World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund developed WASH FIT, a quality improvement tool, to help assess and improve environmental health services. Fifty-three countries have adopted it. However, there is little evidence of its effectiveness. This systematic review evaluates whether WASH FIT improves environmental health services or associated health outcomes and impacts. Methods: We conducted database searches to identify relevant studies and extracted data on study design, healthcare facility characteristics, and inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts associated with WASH FIT. We summarized the findings using a logic model framework and narrative synthesis. Results: We included 31 studies in the review. Most inputs and activities were described qualitatively. Twenty-three studies reported quantitative outputs, primary WASH FIT indicator scores, and personnel trained on WASH FIT. Nine studies reported longitudinal data demonstrating changes in these outputs throughout WASH FIT implementation. Six studies reported quantitative outcomes measurements; the remainder described outcomes qualitatively or not at all. Common outcomes included allocated funding for environmental health services, community engagement, and government collaboration, changes in knowledge, attitudes, or practices among healthcare staff, patients, or community members, and policy changes. No studies directly measured impacts or evaluated WASH FIT against a rigorous control group. Conclusions: Available evidence is insufficient to evaluate WASH FIT's effects on outputs, outcomes, and impacts. Further effort is needed to comprehensively identify the inputs and activities required to implement WASH FIT and to draw specific links between changes in outputs, outcomes, and impacts. Short-term opportunities exist to improve evidence by more comprehensive reporting of WASH FIT assessments and exploiting data on health impacts within health management information systems. In the long term, we recommend experimental studies. This evidence is important to ensure that funding invested for WASH FIT implementation is used cost-effectively and that opportunities to adapt and refine WASH FIT are fully realized as it continues to grow in use and influence.

Identifying predictors of E. coli in rural household water in sub-Saharan Africa using elimination regression.

Exposure to fecally contaminated drinking water contributes to the global disease burden, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We used cross-sectional data and elimination regression analysis to examine factors influencing E. coli contamination in household drinking water samples from 4,499 rural households in nine countries in SSA (Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia in Southern Africa; Ghana, Mali, and Niger in Western Africa; and Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania in Eastern Africa). The proportion of household water samples containing E. coli was 71%, ranging from 45% (Malawi) to 89% (Tanzania). Pooled and multi-country predictive logistic regression models showed that using an unimproved-type water source, the absence of a community water committee, and domestic animal ownership were significantly associated with household drinking water contamination. Household water treatment and storage practices, sanitation and hygiene practices, and payment for drinking water were not significantly associated with E. coli contamination in any model. The season was a significant predictor of E. coli in the pooled model; samples collected in the rainy season were 2.3 [2.0, 2.7] times as likely to be contaminated with E. coli. Practitioners and policymakers should prioritize implementing piped on-plot water services, establishing effective local water source management structures, and incorporating animal husbandry practices into water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions.

Workshop Report: Catalyzing Knowledge-Driven Discovery in Environmental Health Sciences through a Harmonized Language.

Harmonized language is essential to finding, sharing, and reusing large-scale, complex data. Gaps and barriers prevent the adoption of harmonized language approaches in environmental health sciences (EHS). To address this, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and partners created the Environmental Health Language Collaborative (EHLC). The purpose of EHLC is to facilitate a community-driven effort to advance the development and adoption of harmonized language approaches in EHS. EHLC is a forum to pinpoint language harmonization gaps, to facilitate the development of, raise awareness of, and encourage the use of harmonization approaches and tools, and to develop new standards and recommendations. To ensure that EHLC's focus and structure would be sustainable long-term and meet the needs of the field, EHLC launched an inaugural workshop in September 2021 focused on "Developing Sustainable Language Solutions" and "Building a Sustainable Community". When the attendees were surveyed, 91% said harmonized language solutions would be of high value/benefit, and 60% agreed to continue contributing to EHLC efforts. Based on workshop discussions, future activities will focus on targeted collaborative use-case working groups in addition to offering education and training on ontologies, metadata, and standards, and developing an EHS language resource portal.

Factors associated with water quality, sanitation, and hygiene in rural schools in 14 low- and middle-income countries.

Improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) in schools is important to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 6. Inadequate WaSH and MHM in schools adversely affect student health and educational performance, as well as teacher satisfaction. However, there is little evidence describing factors associated with WaSH services and MHM in schools. We conducted 2690 surveys and collected 1946 water samples at randomly selected schools in rural areas of 14 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We developed multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression models to identify factors associated with basic water services, water quality, basic sanitation facilities, basic handwashing facilities, and availability of MHM materials. We found that 51% of schools had at least a basic, on-premises water service. Twenty-eight percent of schools had at least basic sanitation services, 12% had at least a basic handwashing facility, and 26% had MHM materials available. Four percent of schools had all basic WaSH services. Half (52%) of schools had drinking water compliant with the WHO guideline value for E. coli. In regression models, we found that schools that did not share their water point with a community, had a parent-teacher association that supported WaSH, or had support from an external WaSH program were more likely to have access to basic, continuous, on-premises water service versus worse access. Schools with an on-premises water point, water available on the day of survey, a health club, or handwashing stations near toilets were more likely to have a basic sanitation service versus a lower service. Schools with limited or basic sanitation, health clubs, an MHM curriculum, a designated MHM focal person, or school funds for WaSH were more likely to have MHM materials. We conclude that improved institutional management and external support, accountability mechanisms, and enhanced training and hygiene curriculum will support sustained WaSH service delivery in schools in LMICs.

Measuring household hygiene access and handwashing behaviors: Findings from 14 low- and middle-income countries.

Handwashing with soap (HWWS) is critical for preventing diarrheal and respiratory infections and is an important policy priority to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We analyzed hygiene data from 36,860 household surveys from rural areas in India, Honduras, and twelve countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We report descriptive statistics and compare and critique three indicators: (1) access to basic hygiene services, defined as a reported designated handwashing area with observed water and soap at the time of the survey; (2) use of both soap and water during demonstrated handwashing; and (3) reported handwashing both after defecation and before preparing food. Overall, 10% of surveyed households (4% in SSA) had access to basic hygiene services and 48% of respondents (45% in SSA) used both soap and water during demonstrated handwashing. Inconsistencies between these indicators suggest no single indicator can provide a holistic picture of household hygiene; reporting on handwashing infrastructure alone may underestimate household access to soap and water and HWWS behaviors. Across the 14 countries, there was an average 22 percentage point (p.p.) gap (median 20 p.p.) in use of both water and soap during demonstrated handwashing between respondents in the wealthiest and poorest quintiles surveyed. This finding highlights the continued need to emphasize inclusivity aspects of the SDGs. Data around respondents' reported exposure to hygiene promotion showed that respondents rarely heard messaging about cleanliness from faith leaders, revealing an overlooked opportunity to empower faith leaders to promote handwashing in low- and middle-income countries.

Safe Healthcare Facilities: A Systematic Review on the Costs of Establishing and Maintaining Environmental Health in Facilities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

A hygienic environment is essential to provide quality patient care and prevent healthcare-acquired infections. Understanding costs is important to budget for service delivery, but costs evidence for environmental health services (EHS) in healthcare facilities (HCFs) is lacking. We present the first systematic review to evaluate the costs of establishing, operating, and maintaining EHS in HCFs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We systematically searched for studies costing water, sanitation, hygiene, cleaning, waste management, personal protective equipment, vector control, laundry, and lighting in LMICs. Our search yielded 36 studies that reported costs for 51 EHS. There were 3 studies that reported costs for water, 3 for sanitation, 4 for hygiene, 13 for waste management, 16 for cleaning, 2 for personal protective equipment, 10 for laundry, and none for lighting or vector control. Quality of evidence was low. Reported costs were rarely representative of the total costs of EHS provision. Unit costs were infrequently reported. This review identifies opportunities to improve costing research through efforts to categorize and disaggregate EHS costs, greater dissemination of existing unpublished data, improvements to indicators to monitor EHS demand and quality necessary to contextualize costs, and development of frameworks to define EHS needs and essential inputs to guide future costing.

Environmental conditions in maternity wards: Evidence from rural healthcare facilities in 14 low- and middle-income countries.

Adequate environmental conditions, comprising sufficient environmental hygiene items (e.g. gloves, soap, and disinfectant), adequate infrastructure (e.g. sanitation facilities, water supply), a clean environment, and hygienic behaviors in healthcare facilities (HCFs) are necessary for safe care in maternity wards. Few data are available describing environmental conditions in maternity wards in rural areas of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We collected data on these conditions from 1547 HCFs with maternity wards in 14 countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe). We described patterns and availability of essential environmental conditions, and a regression model was developed to explore predictive factors. 73% of HCFs offering maternal and neonatal health (MNH) services did not meet the guidelines for the World Health Organization 'six cleans' (clean perineum, clean bed surface, clean hands, clean blade, clean cord tie, and clean towels to wrap the baby and mother). The items with the lowest availability were clean towels (40%). In a multivariable logistic regression model, HCFs that provided maternity services were more likely to have all 'six cleans' available if they: had at least an improved water source; had an infection prevention and control (IPC) protocol; had a budget considered sufficient that included funding for water, sanitation, hygiene, and IPC; and emphasized the importance of IPC within the nearby community. Our results demonstrate substantial differences between countries in the availability of environmental hygiene items, facility cleanliness, and quality of environmental health infrastructure in HCF maternity wards. There are several low-cost, high-impact, context-relevant opportunities to enhance essential environmental conditions that would improve the quality of neonatal and maternal care in maternity wards in HCFs in LMICs.

Healthcare provider satisfaction with environmental conditions in rural healthcare facilities of 14 low- and middle-income countries.

Healthcare provider (HCP) satisfaction is important for staff retention and effective health service delivery. Inadequate resources, understaffing, and ineffective organizational structure may reduce HCP satisfaction in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Some qualitative studies have described links between environmental conditions and job satisfaction in HCPs; however, few studies have explored this link using survey data. This study explores associations between HCP satisfaction and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) infrastructure, cleanliness, and infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in rural healthcare facilities (HCFs) in LMICs. This study analyzes 2002 HCFs in rural areas of 14 LMICs. Generalized linear mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between HCP satisfaction, WaSH infrastructure, and cleanliness and IPC practices. Most respondents reported that they were unsatisfied with water (65%), sanitation (68%), and hygiene infrastructure (54%) at their HCF. Insufficient supply and poor quality of WaSH resources were the most commonly reported reasons for provider dissatisfaction. Respondents were less likely to report dissatisfaction with cleanliness and IPC practices (36%). Dissatisfaction with cleanliness and IPC were most reported because patients and staff did not wash their hands at the correct times or with proper materials, or because the facility was not clean. Several characteristics of the WaSH environment were significantly associated with provider satisfaction at their HCFs, including acceptable water quality, readily available supply of water (on premises and improved), accessible supply of WaSH infrastructure to people with reduced mobility, accessible supplies of sanitation and hygiene materials, and sufficient training and budgeting for WaSH or IPC needs. Our results suggest that the provision of on premises, improved water service accessible to people with reduced mobility, interventions that prioritize the acceptability of sanitation facilities within the local context, and the provision of hygienic materials are key interventions to improve HCP satisfaction. Dedicated funding and oversight should be established at the HCF level to ensure access to consumable hygiene and IPC products and maintenance of WASH infrastructure. Improvements to WaSH in HCF may improve HCP satisfaction and ultimately patient outcomes.

A toolkit for costing environmental health services in healthcare facilities.

Environmental health services (EHS) are critical for safe and functional healthcare facilities (HCFs). Understanding costs is important for improving and sustaining access to EHS in HCFs, yet the understanding of costs is poor and no tools exist to specifically support costing EHS in HCFs in low- and middle-income countries. We developed a toolkit to guide the following steps of costing EHS in HCFs: defining costing goals, developing and executing a data collection plan, calculating costs, and disseminating findings. The costing toolkit is divided into eight step-by-step modules with instructions, fillable worksheets, and guidance for effective data collection. It is designed for use by diverse stakeholders involved in funding, implementation, and management of EHS in HCFs and can be used by stakeholders with no prior costing experience. This paper describes the development, structure, and functionality of the toolkit; provides guidance for its application; and identifies good practices for costing, including pilot testing data collection tools and iterating the data collection process, involving diverse stakeholders, considering long-term costs, and disaggregating environmental costs in records to facilitate future costing. The toolkit itself is provided in the Supplementary Material.

Factors associated with safe child feces disposal in Ethiopia, India, and Zambia.

Safe child feces disposal (CFD) is defined as a child or caregiver placing or rinsing child feces into an improved sanitation facility. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), 48% of households with children under five report that child feces were safely disposed. Despite its widespread prevalence and harmful health effects, little is known about the determinants of safe CFD. We analyzed determinants of CFD across three countries that differently address safe CFD in their policies. We used data from a cross-sectional survey of 3737 households in rural areas of Ethiopia, India, and Zambia. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with safe child feces disposal (CFD) in these countries. Safe CFD was positively associated with whether a female head of household attended primary school in Zambia and India, whether someone spoke to households about cleanliness in Ethiopia, and whether a community had a WaSH committee that met in the past year in Ethiopia. In all three countries, households with a member who practiced open defecation were significantly less likely to practice safe CFD. Increasing the education level of female head of households, reducing open defecation, speaking to a household, and having an active WaSH committee are important programmatic considerations for actors who seek to address CFD in low resource settings. Unsafe CFD is a substantial challenge to transformative WaSH, and more studies should be conducted to evaluate the causes, determinants, and behaviors of CFD.

Environmental health conditions in the transitional stage of forcible displacement: A systematic scoping review.

In 2019, 30,000 people were forced to leave their homes due to conflict, persecution, and natural disaster each day. Eighty-five percent of refugees live in developing countries, and they often face underfunded and inadequate environmental health services. Many displaced persons live in camps and other temporary settlements long after the displacement event occurs. However, there is little evidence on environmental health conditions in the transitional phase-defined by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as six months to two years after displacement. To address this gap in research, we conducted a systematic scoping review of environmental health conditions, exposures, and outcomes in transitional displacement settings, as well as reported obstacles and recommendations for improvement. Eighty-eight publications met the inclusion criteria. Water supply was the most frequently discussed environmental health topic. Overcrowding was the most common risk factor reported, Vibrio cholerae was the most common pathogen reported, and diarrhea was the most commonly reported health outcome. Obstacles and recommendations were categorized as institutional, political or implementation-based. Identified knowledge gaps included minimal information on setting logistics and on topics such as menstrual hygiene, oral hygiene and fomite contamination. In order to improve environmental health conditions in transitional displacement settings, all levels of government and non-governmental organizations should increase collaboration to improve resource provision. This study is the first to report on environmental health conditions in this important time of transition between the emergency and protracted stages of displacement.

Catalyzing Knowledge-Driven Discovery in Environmental Health Sciences through a Community-Driven Harmonized Language.

Harmonized language is critical for helping researchers to find data, collecting scientific data to facilitate comparison, and performing pooled and meta-analyses. Using standard terms to link data to knowledge systems facilitates knowledge-driven analysis, allows for the use of biomedical knowledge bases for scientific interpretation and hypothesis generation, and increasingly supports artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Due to the breadth of environmental health sciences (EHS) research and the continuous evolution in scientific methods, the gaps in standard terminologies, vocabularies, ontologies, and related tools hamper the capabilities to address large-scale, complex EHS research questions that require the integration of disparate data and knowledge sources. The results of prior workshops to advance a harmonized environmental health language demonstrate that future efforts should be sustained and grounded in scientific need. We describe a community initiative whose mission was to advance integrative environmental health sciences research via the development and adoption of a harmonized language. The products, outcomes, and recommendations developed and endorsed by this community are expected to enhance data collection and management efforts for NIEHS and the EHS community, making data more findable and interoperable. This initiative will provide a community of practice space to exchange information and expertise, be a coordination hub for identifying and prioritizing activities, and a collaboration platform for the development and adoption of semantic solutions. We encourage anyone interested in advancing this mission to engage in this community.

Occurrence of Lead and Other Toxic Metals Derived from Drinking-Water Systems in Three West African Countries.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to toxic metals (TMs) such as lead can cause lifelong neurodevelopmental impairment and other adverse outcomes. TMs enter drinking water from human activity, geogenic contamination, and corrosion of water system components. Several studies report TM contamination in piped systems and private wells in high-income countries (HICs). However, few robust studies report on TM contamination in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). OBJECTIVES: We characterized the occurrence and investigated sources of TM contamination in 261 rural water systems in three West African LMICs to inform prevention and management. METHODS: Water samples were collected from 261 community water systems (handpumps and public taps) across rural Ghana, Mali, and Niger. Scrapings were collected from accessible components of a subset of these systems using a drill with acid-washed diamond-tipped bits. Samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometry or ICP optical emission spectroscopy. RESULTS: Of the TMs studied, lead most frequently occurred at levels of concern in sampled water system components and water samples. Lead mass fractions exceeded International Plumbing Code (IPC) recommended limits (0.25% wt/wt) for components in 82% (107/130) of systems tested; brass components proved most problematic, with 72% (26/36) exceeding IPC limits. Presence of a brass component in a water system increased expected lead concentrations in drinking-water samples by 3.8 times. Overall, lead exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) guideline values in 9% (24/261) of drinking-water samples across countries; these results are broadly comparable to results observed in many HICs. Results did not vary significantly by geography or system type. DISCUSSION: Ensuring use of lead-free (<0.25%) components in new water systems and progressively remediating existing systems could reduce drinking-water lead exposures and improve health outcomes for millions. However, reflexive decommissioning of existing systems may deprive users of sufficient water for health or drive them to riskier sources. Because supply chains for many water system components are global, TM monitoring, prevention, and management may be warranted in other LMICs beyond the study area as well. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7804.

Evidence Map and Systematic Review of Disinfection Efficacy on Environmental Surfaces in Healthcare Facilities.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) contribute to patient morbidity and mortality with an estimated 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths costing USD $28-34 billion annually in the United States alone. There is little understanding as to if current environmental surface disinfection practices reduce pathogen load, and subsequently HAIs, in critical care settings. This evidence map includes a systematic review on the efficacy of disinfecting environmental surfaces in healthcare facilities. We screened 17,064 abstracts, 635 full texts, and included 181 articles for data extraction and study quality assessment. We reviewed ten disinfectant types and compared disinfectants with respect to study design, outcome organism, and fourteen indictors of study quality. We found important areas for improvement and gaps in the research related to study design, implementation, and analysis. Implementation of disinfection, a determinant of disinfection outcomes, was not measured in most studies and few studies assessed fungi or viruses. Assessing and comparing disinfection efficacy was impeded by study heterogeneity; however, we catalogued the outcomes and results for each disinfection type. We concluded that guidelines for disinfectant use are primarily based on laboratory data rather than a systematic review of in situ disinfection efficacy. It is critically important for practitioners and researchers to consider system-level efficacy and not just the efficacy of the disinfectant.