CHW Central

A global resource for and about Community Health Workers

Asia

Should female community health volunteers (FCHVs) facilitate a response to gender-based violence (GBV)? A mixed methods exploratory study in Mangalsen, Nepal

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Only one in five Nepali women seek care following gender-based violence (GBV). Myra Betron and colleagues evaluated whether female community health volunteers (fCHVs), with their trusted role in society,  could improve care for these women. After attending a single day of training, fCHVs reported increased knowledge, attitudes, and confidence in providing care for GBV. One year … [Read more...] about Should female community health volunteers (FCHVs) facilitate a response to gender-based violence (GBV)? A mixed methods exploratory study in Mangalsen, Nepal

Task-sharing interventions for improving control of diabetes in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Impacts of health system physician shortages in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can be mitigated by assigning tasks that require limited specialized knowledge to non-physician healthcare workers, including CHWs. Joseph Maria and colleagues reviewed 46 research studies to understand how this so-called “task-sharing” is applied to manage type 2 diabetes in LMICs. … [Read more...] about Task-sharing interventions for improving control of diabetes in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Factors influencing the performance of community health workers: A qualitative study of Anganwadi Workers from Bihar, India

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Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) in India’s Child Development Services program represent the largest CHW cadre in the world, but factors influencing employee performance remain understudied. Aparna John and colleagues interviewed AWWs to understand factors driving their performance within the program. Results indicated that the most common constraints to performance included a lack of … [Read more...] about Factors influencing the performance of community health workers: A qualitative study of Anganwadi Workers from Bihar, India

Role of community health workers in improving cost efficiency in an active case finding tuberculosis programme: an operational research study from rural Bihar, India

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The World Health Organization estimates that as much as thirty percent of cases of tuberculosis (TB) worldwide remain unidentified. Tushar Garg and colleagues examined whether active case finding performed by CHWs in Bihar, India represents a cost-effective strategy for TB identification and whether or not participation impedes CHW provision of other services. CHWs performing … [Read more...] about Role of community health workers in improving cost efficiency in an active case finding tuberculosis programme: an operational research study from rural Bihar, India