This study explored how community health workers in Pader District, Northern Uganda, view health problems and barriers to care in their communities. Through group discussions with 46 community health workers, researchers found that malaria, maternal and child health problems, and rising chronic diseases are major concerns. The workers explained that long distances to health … [Read more...] about Community health knowledge and access to care in post-conflict Northern Uganda: Perspectives of community health workers in Pader District
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Community Health Worker-Led Surgical Screening in Remote Pastoralist Communities of Northern Kenya
This study examined whether community health workers could help identify common surgical conditions in remote pastoralist communities in northern Kenya where access to care is limited. Trained community health workers screened nearly 2,850 adults for conditions such as hernias and tumors, and suspected cases were later checked by surgeons. The results showed that the community … [Read more...] about Evaluating the Effectiveness of Community Health Worker-Led Surgical Screening in Remote Pastoralist Communities of Northern Kenya
Adapting and Validating Tools to Assess the Usability and Acceptability of mHealth Tools Among Community Health Workers in Rural Settings: Development and Usability Study
This study developed and tested a tool to measure how easy and acceptable mobile health apps are for community health workers in Rwanda. The tool was adapted from existing questionnaires and simplified to match the local language and education level of health workers. After testing it with experts and community health workers, the final 22-question tool was found to be clear, … [Read more...] about Adapting and Validating Tools to Assess the Usability and Acceptability of mHealth Tools Among Community Health Workers in Rural Settings: Development and Usability Study
Large language models for frontline healthcare support in low-resource settings
This study tested how well artificial intelligence tools could answer clinical questions asked by community health workers in Rwanda. Researchers collected more than 5,000 real questions and compared answers from several AI systems with those from local clinicians. The AI tools generally gave higher-quality responses and were far cheaper to use. Although performance dropped … [Read more...] about Large language models for frontline healthcare support in low-resource settings
Implementation and evaluation of a community health workers-led digital integrated diseases screening system to provide healthcare for patients at community level in Rwanda
This study tested a digital screening tool used by community health workers in Rwanda to help identify and manage common illnesses such as tuberculosis, malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoea. The tool, installed on their smartphones, guided health workers through patient registration, symptom checks, and decisions about treatment or referral. After the tool was introduced, … [Read more...] about Implementation and evaluation of a community health workers-led digital integrated diseases screening system to provide healthcare for patients at community level in Rwanda