ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services are cornerstones to providing safe health care services and improving patient satisfaction and care seeking. The Clean Clinic Approach (CCA) uses a 10-step process to support health care facilities (HCFs) in making incremental, effective cleanliness and infection prevention and control (IPC) improvements, without relying on external investments. We piloted the CCA in Guatemala and assessed the extent to which it contributed to quality improvements in WASH for IPC. METHODS: After developing an assessment tool tailored to the Guatemalan context, we assessed 11 HCFs in 8 technical areas and scored the facilities on 79 criteria with a total of 100 points. We conducted a baseline assessment (September to October 2018), second assessment (January 2019), and final assessment (February to March 2019). RESULTS: The 11 HCFs improved their average emergency/general ward scores from 41 points at baseline to 87 points at end line, based on a 100-point scale. For delivery wards, the scores increased from 50 to 91 points and for postnatal wards from 46 to 90 points. CONCLUSIONS: The CCA process and tools facilitated a systematic way for HCFs to identify, prioritize, make, and measure WASH quality of care improvements. Training facility staff was fundamental to improving quality standards, and involving medical and administration staff in joint analysis, coordination, and planning sessions was key to integration and teamwork. Further work is needed to increase involvement of local government and community members and to further adapt the process and tools.