{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T20:34:06Z","timestamp":1792787646458,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":14,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,1]],"date-time":"2026-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772323200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,1]],"date-time":"2026-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772323200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009464","name":"Strengthening Hygiene Skills and Laboratory Structures to Improve Maternal and Neonatal Health in Benin","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009464","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Good Hygiene \u2013 Improving Skills and Hospital Practices of Healthcare Professionals to Prevent Maternal and Neonatal Infections in Benin"},{"name":"European Union through the Erasmus+ programme","id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/019w4f821","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["INQUIRY"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Maternal and neonatal health remains a major challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, with high mortality rates also observed in Benin. This policy brief summarizes findings from two hygiene and infection prevention and control (IPC) projects implemented in Benin between 2023 and 2025 and translates them into prioritized policy recommendations. Findings are drawn from a baseline survey of 169 healthcare workers across six hospitals, focus group discussions with 42 community health workers (CHW), structured interviews and stakeholder consultations, and outcomes of two structured training programs. Throughout this brief, we distinguish empirical findings from our projects from recommendations informed by stakeholder consultation and the wider evidence base. Key recommendations include improving the compliance with hygiene protocols and upgrading infrastructure in healthcare facilities, such as installing hand hygiene stations for better hand hygiene, creating isolation rooms for infected patients and improving toilet facilities. Additional measures we propose include strengthening diagnostic capacity, promoting community health education, integrating IPC measures into national health policies, promoting antimicrobial stewardship, and fostering collaboration among government, the private and public sectors, healthcare professionals, communities, and international partners to ensure sustainable solutions. While our projects were not designed to directly measure reductions in infection incidence, the findings are consistent with evidence from comparable settings showing that similar interventions can reduce healthcare-associated infections. Consistent implementation of these measures, combined with routine monitoring, could support progress toward Benin\u2019s Sustainable Development Goal target for maternal and neonatal mortality.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/00469580261499552","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T21:14:06Z","timestamp":1792012446000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Improving Hygiene Practices to Prevent Maternal and Neonatal Infections in Healthcare and Communities in Benin: Findings and Policy Recommendations"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"63","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2622-4363","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kossi Brice Boris","family":"Legba","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Abomey-Calavi, Polytechnic School of Abomey-Calavi"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hornel","family":"Koudokpon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Abomey-Calavi, Polytechnic School of Abomey-Calavi"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kaisa","family":"Haukka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Helsinki"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kevin","family":"Sintondji","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Abomey-Calavi, Polytechnic School of Abomey-Calavi"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Susanne","family":"Saarinen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physicians for Social Responsibility"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mari","family":"Laaksonen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physicians for Social Responsibility"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Victorien","family":"Dougnon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Abomey-Calavi, Polytechnic School of Abomey-Calavi"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_6_2_2","volume-title":"Healthy Newborn Network","author":"HNN. Maternal Mortality Benin 2000-2020","year":"2023","unstructured":"HNN. Maternal Mortality Benin 2000-2020. Healthy Newborn Network; 2023. https:\/\/healthynewbornnetwork.org\/resource\/2023\/maternal-mortality-benin-2000-2020\/. Accessed June 27, 2025."},{"key":"e_1_3_6_3_2","unstructured":"UNICEF. Data Warehouse. UNICEF DATA. 2022. https:\/\/data.unicef.org\/resources\/data_explorer\/unicef_f\/. Accessed June 27 2025."},{"key":"e_1_3_6_4_2","unstructured":"WHO. SDG Target 3.1 Maternal mortality. 2024. https:\/\/www.who.int\/data\/gho\/data\/themes\/topics\/sdg-target-3-1-maternal-mortality. Accessed June 27 2025."},{"key":"e_1_3_6_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2022.1088590"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2024.1281418"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare10101924"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_8_2","unstructured":"Dougnon V Legba BB Koudokpon H Haukka K Elovainio R Dossou F. 8th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals a science-policy brief. Improving the Quality of Laboratory Diagnostics for bacteria causing Bloodstream Infections and Better Antimicrobial Resistance Control in Benin: A Case Study. United Nations. Published online August 2 2023"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-025-94442-y"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajic.2018.09.014"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijid.2019.06.002"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/ciy1114"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jocn.15737"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhin.2020.11.025"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.12688\/wellcomeopenres.17793.1"}],"container-title":["INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/00469580261499552","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/00469580261499552","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/00469580261499552","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,17]],"date-time":"2026-10-17T08:16:13Z","timestamp":1792224973000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/00469580261499552"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"references-count":14,"alternative-id":["10.1177\/00469580261499552"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/00469580261499552","relation":{},"ISSN":["0046-9580","1945-7243"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0046-9580","type":"print"},{"value":"1945-7243","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"article-number":"00469580261499552"}}