In a rural area of Bangladesh the methods used by village health promoters and the time available to them for their intended tasks were inadequate. Poverty and illiteracy in the community exacerbated their difficulties. Ways of tackling these problems are discussed in the article. … [Read more...] about How to make the most of village health promoters.
CHW Role
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?
Promotoras as Mental Health Practitioners in Primary Care: A Multi-Method Study of an Intervention to Address Contextual Sources of Depression
We assessed the role of promotoras—briefly trained community health workers—in depression care at community health centers. The intervention focused on four contextual sources of depression in underserved, low-income communities: underemployment, inadequate housing, food insecurity, and violence. After a structured training program, primary care practitioners (PCPs) and … [Read more...] about Promotoras as Mental Health Practitioners in Primary Care: A Multi-Method Study of an Intervention to Address Contextual Sources of Depression
The influence of observation and setting on community health workers’ practices.
This study aims to determine whether results from an evaluation that involved observation of community health workers while they performed patient consultations in a hospital reflected normal everyday practices. We found that community health workers made treatment errors less frequently when they were observed in a hospital in-patient or outpatient department than when they … [Read more...] about The influence of observation and setting on community health workers’ practices.
Effectiveness of a community health worker intervention among African American and Latino adults with type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial.
This research tested the effectiveness of a culturally tailored, behavioral theory-based community health worker intervention for improving glycemic control. Using an empowerment-based approach, community health workers provided participants with diabetes self-management education and regular home visits, and accompanied them to a clinic visit during the 6-month intervention … [Read more...] about Effectiveness of a community health worker intervention among African American and Latino adults with type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial.