In Nigeria, rural healthcare faces critical challenges due to a shortage of skilled professionals. Community health workers (CHWs), including Community Health Officers (CHOs) and Extension Workers (CHEWs), play a vital role in filling this gap. They provide essential primary care, promote healthy living, treat minor illnesses, and guide patients to specialized care when needed. … [Read more...] about Community Health Workers: Heroes of Rural Healthcare
Nigeria
Demand and supply side factors that drive delayed referrals from traditional birth attendants to public primary healthcare facilities: Insights from three states in Nigeria
Many pregnant women in Nigeria prefer traditional birth attendants (TBAs) for childbirth due to trust, cultural beliefs, and religious practices. However, TBAs often delay referring women to health centers, risking complications. Challenges include community preference for TBAs, inadequate infrastructure, staff shortages, and weak enforcement of good practices at health … [Read more...] about Demand and supply side factors that drive delayed referrals from traditional birth attendants to public primary healthcare facilities: Insights from three states in Nigeria
Adherence to referral advice and its associated factors among community drug distributors and caregiver during SMC implementation in nine states
Malaria is a major health issue, especially for children under five in low-resource countries, with Nigeria facing the highest burden in West Africa. Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) programs have been launched in nine states in Nigeria to combat this. This study examined how well caregivers followed referral protocols during SMC, focusing on caregiver-child pairs … [Read more...] about Adherence to referral advice and its associated factors among community drug distributors and caregiver during SMC implementation in nine states
Enhancing hypertension education of community health extension workers in Nigeria’s federal capital territory: the impact of the extension for community healthcare outcomes model on primary care, a quasi-experimental study
Healthcare workers including community health extension workers (CHEWs) in Nigeria participated in a virtual hypertension training program using the ECHO model, which connects practitioners for peer learning. The study compared outcomes from 12 clinics involved in the training with 21 clinics that were not. Data showed that hypertension treatment rates improved slightly in the … [Read more...] about Enhancing hypertension education of community health extension workers in Nigeria’s federal capital territory: the impact of the extension for community healthcare outcomes model on primary care, a quasi-experimental study
Quality of Counselling, Exposure to Vaccination Messages, and Caregivers’ Knowledge on the Uptake of Pentavalent Vaccine in Six Northern Nigerian States
This study looked at factors influencing the uptake of the Pentavalent (Penta) vaccine in Nigeria, where coverage remains low. A survey of 561 caregivers of young children found that 43% of eligible children received all three doses of the vaccine. Quality counseling was provided to only 56% of caregivers, and many had limited exposure to vaccination messages. Key factors … [Read more...] about Quality of Counselling, Exposure to Vaccination Messages, and Caregivers’ Knowledge on the Uptake of Pentavalent Vaccine in Six Northern Nigerian States