INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO IMPROVE INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL IN SOUTH AFRICAN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES FACING WATER SCARCITY

Background: Water is the most essential yet overlooked resource. Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene in healthcare facilities improve public health and community resilience during disease outbreaks. In water-scarce healthcare facilities, current technology must improve infection prevention and control (IPC). South Africa must address and manage challenges in healthcare facilities while implementing digital health and technology innovations to ensure IPC compliance during water scarcity. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the effective digital and technological innovations to improve infection prevention and control (IPC) practices for South African healthcare facilities experiencing water scarcity. Method: A comprehensive search was conducted in four databases: PubMed, EBSCOhost, CINAHL, and MEDLINE, according to the PRISMA guideline. Studies were published in English from 2020-2025. Data analysis was done systematically following Arksey & O’Malley’s five-stage approach on existing literature. Results: The search retrieved 799 articles, of which 9 articles were eligible for review after screening. The identified and developed themes focused on best practices in technology advancements to improve IPC practices in healthcare facilities experiencing water scarcity. Three themes merged: 1) Waterless hygiene technologies, 2) Smart water management systems, and 3) Digital health tools to optimise IPC practice. These findings suggest integration of technological solutions to strengthen current IPC practices in healthcare facilities experiencing water scarcity. Recommendations: In the digital and technology era, healthcare systems depend on the integration of various technologies to improve IPC standards to ensure continuous healthcare services amid water outages or persistent water shortages.