Table 5.

Strengths and gaps in workload, staffing, bed occupancy, built environment, materials, and equipment for IPC (infection prevention and control) observed during a baseline IPC assessment at Lira University Hospital, Uganda, in November 2020.

Components	Strengths	Gaps
Workload, Staffing, and Bed Occupancy	Bed occupancy kept at one patient per bed No patients in facility placed in beds standing in the corridor outside of the room (including beds in the emergency department) Adequate spacing of >1 metre between patient beds ensured in the facility System in place to assess and respond when adequate bed capacity is exceeded or when staffing levels are low compared to needs Design of wards in facility in accordance with international standards regarding bed capacity in some departments	Staffing levels not assessed according to patient workload There is no agreed WHO or national ratio of healthcare workers to patients maintained across the facility
Built Environment, Materials, and Equipment for IPC	Water services available at all times and of sufficient quantities for all uses Reliable safe drinking water station present and accessible for staff, patients, and families at all times and in all locations/wards Functioning hand hygiene stations available at all points of care Sufficient energy/power available at day and night for all uses Functioning environmental ventilation available in patient care areas Have single patient rooms or rooms for cohorts of patients with similar pathogens if the number of isolation rooms is insufficient (TB, Measles, Ebola) Functional burial pit/fenced waste dump or municipal pick-up available for disposal of non-infectious general waste Incinerator or alternative treatment technology for treatment of infectious and sharp waste present, functional and of sufficient capacity Waste water treatment system present and functioning reliably Healthcare facility provides a dedicated decontamination area and/or sterile supply department for the decontamination and sterilization of medical devices and other items Reliably have sterile and disinfected equipment ready for use	Sufficient numbers of toilets or improved latrines available but not all are functioning for outpatient and inpatient settings No accessible record of cleaning, signed by the cleaners each day for surfaces or floors being cleaned Appropriate materials (buckets, mops, detergent) for cleaning available, but not well maintained PPE not continuously available in sufficient quantities Separate bins for waste collection available but inadequate: lids missing or bins more than ¾ full, only 2 bins (instead of 3), or bins at some but not all waste generation points Disposable items (gloves, injection safety devices) available when necessary but only sometimes