{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T11:13:28Z","timestamp":1778152408669,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,29]],"date-time":"2026-03-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774742400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778112000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":39,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"name":"Medical Research Foundation","award":["MRF-145-00040TPG-AVISO Doctoral Training Partnership"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MRF-145-00040TPG-AVISO Doctoral Training Partnership"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Antimicrob Resist Infect Control"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Infection prevention and control (IPC) is critical in neonatal units to prevent healthcare-associated infections, yet research on IPC has primarily focused on healthcare workers, overlooking the role of family caregivers. In low-resource settings, mothers often take on essential caregiving responsibilities including IPC-related tasks, both a logistic necessity and a cultural norm, but their perspectives and experiences remain underexplored. This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore mothers\u2019 experiences and perceptions of IPC in a neonatal unit in Gaborone, Botswana. Understanding maternal involvement in IPC is essential for developing effective interventions, particularly in settings where health systems face workforce shortages and resource constraints.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers of infants admitted to the neonatal unit between June and December 2022. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Six themes were identified. Major themes related to (1) mothers\u2019 strong sense of responsibility for IPC and concerns about infection risks, (2) health system constraints (including supply shortages) that limited consistent IPC practice, (3) competing demands within restricted visiting times that required mothers to balance IPC with feeding and bonding, (4) variable communication with health care workers (HCWs) and limited comfort reminding staff about IPC, and (5) peer dynamics between mothers, including mutual reminders as well as tensions arising from shared feeding equipment. A minor theme that emerged was (6) mothers\u2019 emotional distress and its perceived impact on remembering and enacting IPC behaviours. Overall, mothers described high motivation to protect their infants but reported that time pressures, insufficient communication with HCWs, and resource limitations constrained IPC adherence, underscoring the need for structured IPC orientation and ongoing support for families in neonatal care.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Mothers in this neonatal unit viewed themselves as key partners in IPC and were highly motivated to protect their infants, but their ability to consistently follow IPC practices was constrained by limited supplies, staffing pressures, restricted time for caregiving and bonding, and variable communication with HCWs. Mothers also expressed concerns about HCW adherence to IPC and described how emotional distress and peer dynamics could shape IPC behaviour. These findings underscore the need for structured IPC education and support for mothers in neonatal units, and the importance of integrating family-centred IPC policies into neonatal care. Future research should evaluate interventions that strengthen caregiver support, improve communication, and address contextual barriers and constraints to sustained IPC practice.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s13756-026-01734-7","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,29]],"date-time":"2026-03-29T01:44:35Z","timestamp":1774748675000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["\u201cEveryone in this together\u201d: a qualitative study on mothers as partners in infection prevention in a neonatal unit in Botswana"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Nidhee","family":"Jadeja","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Samuel T.","family":"Matula","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ludo","family":"Magagani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Margaret","family":"Mokomane","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nina","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Susan E.","family":"Coffin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andrew P.","family":"Steenhoff","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Margaret","family":"Kagiso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Britt","family":"Nakstad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alison","family":"Holmes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jonathan","family":"Strysko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"1734_CR1","unstructured":"World Health Organization. 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All participants were given written information about the study before providing informed consent. They were explicitly informed that their participation was voluntary and that they could withdraw at any time without consequence. This information was also reiterated orally at the beginning of each interview, and participants were given the opportunity to ask questions. To ensure confidentiality, each interview was assigned a unique code number, and all data were anonymised for analysis and presentation. Any other potentially identifying details were removed from the interview transcripts.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethical approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"Not applicable. All participants gave consent for anonymised data from interviews to be used in publications, reports, and presentations arising from the study.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"68"}}