A paucity of skilled health providers is a considerable impediment to reducing maternal, infant, and under-five mortality for many low-resource countries. Although evidence supports the effectiveness of community health workers (CHWs) in delivering primary healthcare services, shifting tasks to this cadre from providers with advanced training has been pursued with overall … [Read more...] about Experiences engaging community health workers to provide maternal and newborn health services: Implementation of four programs
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
The community case management of pneumonia in Africa: a review of the evidence
Pneumonia causes around 750 000 child deaths per year in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. The lack of accessibility to prompt and effective treatment is an important contributor to this burden. Community case management of pneumonia (CCMp) uses trained community health workers (CHWs) to administer antibiotics to suspected child pneumonia cases in villages. This strategy has … [Read more...] about The community case management of pneumonia in Africa: a review of the evidence
Do community health workers perceive mechanisms associated with the success of community case management of malaria? A qualitative study from Burkina Faso
The use of community health workers to administer prompt treatments is gaining popularity in most sub-Saharan African countries. Their performance is a key challenge because it varies considerably, depending on the context, while being closely associated with the effectiveness of case management strategies. What determines community health workers' performance is still under … [Read more...] about Do community health workers perceive mechanisms associated with the success of community case management of malaria? A qualitative study from Burkina Faso
Valuing the work of unpaid community health workers and exploring the incentives to volunteering in rural Africa
Community health worker (CHW) programmes are currently being scaled-up in sub-Saharan Africa to improve access to healthcare. CHWs are often volunteers; from an economic perspective, this raises considerations whether reliance on an unpaid workforce is sustainable and how to appropriately cost and value the work of CHWs. Both these questions can be informed by an understanding … [Read more...] about Valuing the work of unpaid community health workers and exploring the incentives to volunteering in rural Africa
Engaging community health workers in maternal and newborn care in eastern Uganda
Community health workers (CHWs) have been employed in a number of low- and middle-income countries as part of primary health care strategies, but the packages vary across and even within countries. The experiences and motivations of a multipurpose CHW in providing maternal and newborn health have not been well described. This study examined the perceptions of community members … [Read more...] about Engaging community health workers in maternal and newborn care in eastern Uganda