Pakistan

Frontline heroes: Leveraging community health workers as first responders for climate-related digital mental health support

After severe floods in Pakistan disrupted health services and increased mental health needs, a digital program called mPareshan trained community health workers to provide app-based counseling for anxiety and depression. Despite the crisis and shortage of mental health professionals, these workers continued supporting affected communities using the mobile tool. The project … [Read more...] about Frontline heroes: Leveraging community health workers as first responders for climate-related digital mental health support

This study tested a training program for lay health workers in Karachi to screen newborns for visible birth defects and refer families for care. After the four-week training, participants showed clear improvement in knowledge and skills, with high agreement with a physician’s assessments. Health workers gave positive feedback on the program, highlighting effective teaching and … [Read more...] about Newborn screening and referral for congenital anomalies by lay health workers in Pakistan: a mixed-methods study to evaluate the effectiveness of a co-created educational intervention

This study tested a digital mental health program called mPareshan in rural Sindh, Pakistan. Trained lady health workers used a mobile app to screen and counsel adults with mild to moderate anxiety or depression during routine home visits. Of the 98 people who started the program, 92 completed six monthly sessions. After the sessions, their anxiety and depression scores dropped … [Read more...] about Home-based digital counselling by frontline community workers for anxiety and depression symptoms in rural Sindh, Pakistan the mPareshan intervention

This study looked at how community health workers (CHWs) help in the fight against malaria. It found that communities with strong CHW involvement had better knowledge about malaria, used mosquito nets more often, and sought treatment earlier. Most people viewed CHWs’ work positively, and their efforts were linked to improved prevention and control of malaria at the community … [Read more...] about Community Knowledge Towards Malaria Prevention: A Study On The Role Of Community Health Workers In Enhancing Public Awareness

This study looked at the impact of Pakistan’s Lady Health Worker (LHW) program on maternal and child health. It found that families with more contact with LHWs were more likely to use important health services like antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, and child vaccinations. However, this contact did not lead to lower death rates for newborns or children. To make the … [Read more...] about A cross-sectional analysis of the impact of lady health worker visits in the prenatal and postnatal period on the uptake of continuum of care interventions and childhood mortality in Pakistan