The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team, academics from the University of São Paulo’s School of Nursing and key Brazilian healthcare stakeholders have co-created, for the first time, gender-based IPC recommendations during disease outbreaks for the Brazilian healthcare context during a research workshop on 10 March 2026. These recommendations aim to significantly improve the safety of patients and healthcare workers in Brazil, especially women, who make up a significant proportion of the workforce, but whose needs are currently under recognised.

The workshop brought together over 20 experts from across Brazil involved in IPC, ranging from the World Health Organization Pan American Health Organization (WHO PAHO), Brazilian Ministry of Health, Ministry for Women, Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA), epidemiologists, regional healthcare professionals and many more.

The workshop is part of the ongoing co-developed research project Influence of gender in the implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in hospitals in Brazil during outbreak response. Workshop participants drew on the findings from the research project which included results from a literature review, written survey and qualitative interviews with key Brazilian experts. Together, the group discussed and proposed several actionable gender inclusive IPC recommendations for Brazil based on their feasibility. These were then refined and ranked on their ability to be implemented on the ground.

Throughout the study, UK-PHRST’s IPC and Social Science teams have provided technical expertise, supporting Brazilian counterparts undertaking the research.

Maria Clara Padoveze study co-lead from the University of São Paulo School of Nursing said: “Working with the UK-PHRST has allowed us to co-develop a high-quality research project that harnesses both Brazilian and UK expertise and skillsets, particularly regarding gender expertise, in a harmonious and equitable way.”

Based on the project’s findings and rich discussion during the workshop, the next step is a roadmap – developed with support from the UK-PHRST Capacity Strengthening team - outlining how to strengthen gender-equitable IPC policy and practice recommendations for use in Brazil. The team hope to support the production of national policy and practice recommendations that can also be adapted to other similar. low-to-middle income country contexts.

The team’s focus on implementable and multi-disciplinary outputs is clear, with Cat Makison Booth, IPC specialist on the project from the UK-PHRST saying; “We are delighted to have worked with our Brazilian partners to co-create this research project by providing our expertise to help produce findings that are truly cross cutting and relevant for Brazilian health care professionals and patients.”

Sustainability has been central to the project’s approach, thanks to its inclusion of USP nursing students and early career researchers as part of the project team. Julia Harasaki, a USP nursing student who is part of the project team said: “Thanks to this project, in my future career, I want to take forward new ways of implementing IPC measures, thinking about gender, race, social class, to reduce inequalities in healthcare.” The project has even led to the development of a further dedicated PhD project exploring the dynamics of gender in IPC measures during disease outbreaks. This will help the team ensure that their findings will be taken forward through the course of their team member’s own future careers.