Mapping Policy Gaps and Governance Challenges in Kenya's Hand Hygiene Environment: A Health Policy Triangle Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Policy
• Infectious Disease Prevention

Background:

• Hand hygiene is crucial for preventing infectious diseases, requiring supportive policies, products, and services.
• Effective hand hygiene necessitates an enabling environment encompassing policy, financing, and coordination.
• Kenya's national hand hygiene policy landscape analysis is vital for public health improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze Kenya's national hand hygiene policy landscape.
• To identify governance barriers and opportunities for strengthening hand hygiene policy and practice.
• To provide evidence-based recommendations for enhancing hand hygiene interventions in Kenya.

Main Methods:

• Systematic examination of Kenya's hand hygiene policy landscape using the Health Policy Triangle (HPT) framework.
• Collection of primary data through Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with 11 strategic stakeholders.
• Comprehensive review of 20 policy instruments, including national policies, strategies, and legal documents.

Main Results:

• Kenya lacks a standalone national hand hygiene policy document, indicating fragmented policy presence.
• Key implementation barriers include weak inter-sectoral coordination, inadequate financing, and data scarcity.
• Hand hygiene provisions are integrated into broader policy documents across various settings.

Conclusions:

• Establishing explicit national hand hygiene standards and securing dedicated financing are crucial.
• Enhanced national-County coordination and integrated health information systems are recommended.
• Reforms are needed to improve governance, planning, and accountability for hand hygiene implementation.