Community health centers take care of patients who are at high risk for adverse medical outcomes because of poverty, linguistic isolation, poor education, and poor health habits. Because of their population focus, health centers are positioned to implement systems-level changes affecting many patients. This article discusses the quality improvement initiatives at Holyoke … [Read more...] about Quality Improvement in Diabetes Care Using Community Health Workers
Research
Teaching how, not what: the contributions of community health workers to diabetes self-management.
The purpose of this study is to describe ways in which community health workers (CHWs) are used in various clinic and community settings to support diabetes self-management (DSM). The assistance CHWs reported providing was most often in form of encouragement/motivation. During interviews, patients shared that CHWs were helpful in demonstrating how to incorporate DSM into their … [Read more...] about Teaching how, not what: the contributions of community health workers to diabetes self-management.
Do community health worker interventions improve rates of screening mammography in the United States? A systematic review.
Community health workers (CHW) are lay individuals who are trained to serve as liaisons between members of their communities and health care providers and services. A systematic review was conducted to synthesize evidence from all prospective controlled studies on effectiveness of CHW programs in improving screening mammography rates. Participation in a CHW intervention … [Read more...] about Do community health worker interventions improve rates of screening mammography in the United States? A systematic review.
Comprehensive asthma management for underserved children.
In response to the 'asthma epidemic', local organisations in San Francisco formed the Yes We Can Urban Asthma Partnership, which uses a comprehensive medical/social model for paediatric asthma care. The Yes We Can Urban Asthma Partnership reaches out to high-risk children in different clinical settings: urgent visits, the hospital, a comprehensive specialty asthma clinic, and … [Read more...] about Comprehensive asthma management for underserved children.
Community health workers: a front line for primary care?
Among the potential changes invoked in discussions on health system transformation, a need to revitalize primary care remains paramount. One way of doing this, most agree, is to move more in the direction of team-based care. Professionals such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners may be able to ease some of the physician's clinical care load, but some populations … [Read more...] about Community health workers: a front line for primary care?