Results: 3217
Increasing utilisation of perinatal services: estimating the impact of community health worker program in Neno, Malawi (2020)
To address the issue of high maternal mortality in Malawi, the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Communities intervention trained CHWs to conduct household visits to locate pregnant women and accompany them to perinatal care. Results indicate an 18% increase in antenatal care attendance, a 200% increase in antenatal care attendance in theRead more…
The supervisory relationships of community health workers in primary health care: social network analysis of ward-based outreach teams in Ngaka Modiri Molema District, South Africa (2019)
This study used social network analysis to examine supervisor-supervisee relationships. Direct supervisors of CHW teams and peer support are the strongest supervisory relationships. The study found that PHC staff and middle managers play a weaker role in CHW supervision.
Evaluation of a training program on primary eye care for an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) in an urban district (2020)
This study examined the results of training Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) as primary eye care (PEC) workers. ASHAs performed eye screenings and referred patients to optometrists. After program implementation, optometrists saw an average increase in monthly outpatient department visits. The study concludes that, with proper training, ASHAs can provideRead more…
Evidence-Based Community Health Worker Program Addresses Unmet Social Needs And Generates Positive Return On Investment (2020)
This study presents a return-on-investment analysis based on a randomized controlled trial of Individualized Management for Patient-Centered Targets (IMPaCT) for a CHW intervention addressing unmet social needs for disadvantaged populations. Results indicate a decrease in inpatient charges and a return of $2.47 for every $1.00 invested in the program.
The cost of the training and supervision of community health workers to improve exclusive breastfeeding amongst mothers in a cluster randomised controlled trial in South Africa (2020)
This study used a retrospective cost analysis to assess the effectiveness of a randomized control trial of CHW support for pregnant women and women with infants <1 year of age in South Africa. Exclusive breastfeeding and women’s knowledge of childcare practices improved significantly in intervention sites. This intervention cost $7,647.88Read more…
Development assistance for community health workers in 114 low- and middle-income countries, 2007–2017 (2019)
To grow and be sustained, CHW programs require funding. This study analyzed Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development data from 2007 to 2017 to evaluate investments in CHW programs. The results indicated that funds for CHW programs represent a small fraction of investments in public health development, and have reducedRead more…
‘Do you trust those data?’—a mixed-methods study assessing the quality of data reported by community health workers in Kenya and Malawi (2020)
The results of this study indicate large gaps in data reporting with only 15% of data consistently reported by CHWs. Reasons for poor data quality included lack of data collection tools, inadequate training, insufficient supervision, and poor quality control monitoring, to name a few. The authors emphasized the importance ofRead more…
Community health workers involvement in preventative care in primary healthcare: a systematic scoping review (2020)
The purpose of this systematic review was to explore the impact of CHW programs on preventative care for diverse, disadvantaged patients in Australia. The review produced data demonstrating improvements in patient behavior, screening rates, and patient access to health services due to CHW interventions. CHWs were able to make aRead more…
The relative importance of material and non-material incentives for community health workers: Evidence from a discrete choice experiment in Western Kenya (2019)
Bolstering CHW motivation can be vital to the sustainability and success of CHW programs, especially given the growing importance of CHW roles in community health. To identify factors that influence CHW motivation, the researchers of this study conducted a discrete choice experiment with 199 CHWs in Kenya. Results indicated thatRead more…
Community Health Workers as Influential Health System Actors and not “Just Another Pair Of Hands” (2020)
This article captures results from a qualitative study conducted in India to explore CHWs’ evolving roles and experiences. Through in-depth interviews with 32 CHWs, the study showed CHWs are discontent with treatment by professional health workers. CHWs want the health system to recognize them as individuals dedicated to and workingRead more…
Health for the People: National Community Health Worker Programs from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe (2020)
Edited by Henry B. Perry, the Health for the People: National Community Health Worker Programs from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe is a collection of CHW program data from 29 countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, SierraRead more…
Evidence-Based CHW Program Addresses Unmet Social Needs and Generates Positive Return on Investment (2020)
Interventions that address socioeconomic determinants of health are receiving considerable attention from policy makers and health care executives, attention fueled in part by expected returns on investment. However, many current estimates of returns on investment are likely overestimated. This study presents a return-on-investment analysis based on a randomized controlled trialRead more…
A conceptual framework for measuring community health workforce performance within primary health care systems (2019)
Management of CHW programs requires better data collection approaches at the community level. This paper describes a framework and proposes a list of metrics to monitor CHW performance in low- and middle-income countries.
Application of the community health worker model in adult asthma and COPD in the U.S.: a systematic review (2019)
This paper systematically reviews the effectiveness of community health worker interventions in reducing healthcare utilization in adults with asthma and COPD.
Means, Motives and Opportunity: determinants of community health worker performance (2019)
The Means, Motives and Opportunity (MMO) framework can be used to identify determinants of CHW performance. This article uses the case study of Anganwadi Workers (village nutrition workers) in Bihar, India to demonstrate how the framework is applied.
Facilitating equitable community-level access to maternal health services: exploring the experiences of Rwanda’s community health workers (2019)
CHWs play an integral role in linking members of communities to maternal health services in formal health care systems. This study identifies specific strategies applied by CHWs in Rwanda to promote equitable maternal care in their communities. It highlights the need for future research on strategies to motivate community healthRead more…
Advancing Health Equity Through Community Health Workers and Peer Providers: Mounting Evidence and Policy Recommendations (2019)
Community health workers are often overlooked and underutilized as powerful change agents for health equity. This report, based on a review of nine studies, provides evidence and policy recommendations. It describes the value of including CHWs in healthcare delivery systems for addressing inequities.
Salaried and voluntary community health workers: exploring how incentives and expectation gaps influence motivation (2019)
There has been a renewed attention for the need to strengthen CHWs performance, which partly depends on motivation. This paper analyzes the use of incentives and their influence on improving CHW motivation.
The National Village Health Guide Scheme in India: Lessons Four Decades Later for Community Health Worker Programs Today and Tomorrow (2019)
National CHW schemes are an increasingly important tool for achieving universal health coverage and ending maternal and child deaths by 2030. This article focuses on critical issues that face the effectiveness of large-scale CHW programs drawing on the experiences of India’s CHW scheme –the Village Health Guides.
It Takes Community Health Workers to End Violence Against Children (2019)
Global interest in strengthening the health sector’s role in ending violence against children (VAC) has been increasing. While CHWs have been widely recognized for their contributions towards many types of community-based interventions, there is little global research on perceptions and practices of CHWs in preventing or reducing VAC. This studyRead more…
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