Although water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions are commonly implemented as part of humanitarian response activities, multiple systematic reviews have noted gaps in their effectiveness.

In a new paper published in PLOS Water, researcher Lauren D’Mello-Guyett and co-authors, including Feinstein Research Professor Daniele Lantagne, propose actionable research priorities for the humanitarian WASH sector.

To identify research questions of greatest importance to those implementing WASH in humanitarian crises, the study engaged 286 WASH and health experts worldwide.

The research questions they identified focused primarily on evaluating existing interventions, making iterative improvements to current programs, and understanding WASH conditions and associated health risks in crisis contexts.

The resulting research agenda aims to guide stakeholders in supporting relevant research to inform humanitarian responses and improve the quality of WASH interventions in crises.

Read the open-access paper in PLOS Water