Recommendations on Public Environmental Health in Health Care Facilities, 11 May 2020

Abstract

This technical note deals with the minimum environmental public health standards in health facilities, a key component for the safety of the patient, health personnel, visitors, and companions. Recommendations are provided on safe water, sanitation, solid waste, hand washing, and cleaning and disinfection. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS: • Ensuring the water, sanitation, and hygiene of the health care facility is the responsibility of everyone: health personnel, facilities managers, service providers, patients, companions, and visitors. • Implement inspection and surveillance measures on water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions in health care facilities. • Ensure that all facility personnel are aware of the water, sanitation, and hygiene measures to be implemented, for example, actions to store water safely and how to guarantee its quality, health care waste management, etc. • Ensure that the health care facility has the basic water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities to operate, complying with national standards. • Adapt spaces or buildings for health care that ensure optimal conditions for the prevention of legionella outbreaks,2 in coordination with water operators and institutions responsible for environmental public health.