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
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
Community-level interventions for pre-eclampsia (CLIP) in Mozambique: A cluster randomised controlled trial
Mozambique experiences high rates of maternal, fetal, and infant deaths. Hypertension during pregnancy increases risk for both eclampsia and maternal death. Esperança Sevene and colleagues assessed the effectiveness of a CHW-led community-based intervention designed to reduce pregnancy hypertension. Compared to a control group, the community-level intervention led to a 20% … [Read more...] about Community-level interventions for pre-eclampsia (CLIP) in Mozambique: A cluster randomised controlled trial
Enabling and hindering factors of health surveillance assistants’ roles in the provision of contraceptive services in Mangochi, Malawi
Provision of family planning and contraceptive services represents an essential component for reducing maternal, infant, and child mortality. In recognition of the value of contraception, the Government of Malawi strengthened Health Surveillance Assistants' (HSAs) capacity to distribute and educate the public about contraceptive services. Maryse Kok conducted interviews with … [Read more...] about Enabling and hindering factors of health surveillance assistants’ roles in the provision of contraceptive services in Mangochi, Malawi
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
Modelling cost benefit of community-oriented primary care in rural South Africa
Research demonstrates the effectiveness of CHWs and community-based health programs to expand universal health care to low-income, rural populations. Rod Bennett and his colleagues assessed the cost and feasibility of implementing a CHW program in the Waterberg district of Limpopo province in South Africa, a region that has not yet achieved community-oriented primary care. The … [Read more...] about Modelling cost benefit of community-oriented primary care in rural South Africa