Interest and investment in Community Health Workers varies depending on the state of the research on the effectiveness of each program. In this commentary, Stephen Hodgins describes how sustained interest can be achieved by increasing cross-communication between small demonstration projects and large programs. … [Read more...] about Learning from Community Health Worker programs, big and small
Oceania
Community engagement interventions for communicable disease control in low- and lower- middle-income countries: evidence from a review of systematic reviews
A diverse array of approaches exist to encourage community engagement to achieve communicable disease control. K. Questa and colleagues collected 13 systematic reviews of research examining community engagement-related communicable disease control to understand which approaches to engagement exist and what is known about their effectiveness. Approaches included community … [Read more...] about Community engagement interventions for communicable disease control in low- and lower- middle-income countries: evidence from a review of systematic reviews
Community gatekeepers and the conundrum of confidentiality and coercion
This commentary responds to an article by Sunu Thomas (2020) describing concerns about the role of confidentiality when a research participant discloses sensitive personal information while a CHW is present. The author describes concerns about whether CHWs should bridge the gap between communities and researchers and whether their presence during data collection represents a … [Read more...] about Community gatekeepers and the conundrum of confidentiality and coercion
Supporting holistic care for patients with tuberculosis in a remote Indigenous community: a case report.
Tuberculosis in Australia has been eradicated in nearly all communities, with the exception of rare cases in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander communities. The rarity of this disease presents a challenge to the care of those with positive diagnoses, as local workers may be inexperienced and underprepared to address TB. Andrea Miller and colleagues report a case study … [Read more...] about Supporting holistic care for patients with tuberculosis in a remote Indigenous community: a case report.
Rapid literature review: Community health workers
CHWs performed as key actors during the Ebola, Zika, and Marburg outbreaks. Shuchi Srinivasan and Radhika Arora surveyed research examining barriers and facilitators to CHW-based responses to these outbreaks. Some barriers included gaps in knowledge and skills, failure to address PPE-related needs among CHWs, and the mental health impacts of living through a pandemic. … [Read more...] about Rapid literature review: Community health workers