Authors: João Nunes, Gabriela Lotta
In this study, researchers in São Paulo, Brazil, examined how CHWs participate in the primary healthcare system. Researchers recruited CHWs from three primary health clinics and used two data collection methods. Firstly, researchers interviewed 26 CHWs about the role of Brazilian health workers and the future of the profession. Then, researchers used vignettes to identify to what extent CHW perceptions and assumptions impact health system users. All study participants were women, and only seven, or 27 percent, underwent training before becoming a CHW. Overall, researchers found that the actions of CHWs are impacted by existing biases, perceptions, and experiences, rendering the conclusion that Brazil’s CHW program must be carefully monitored and managed if the public health system is to achieve its goals of improving health and reducing inequalities.
Link: Are community health programmes always benign? Community health worker perceptions and the social construction of users in Brazil's primary healthcare policy
Resource Topic: Bias, Community Health Workers/Volunteers, Health promotion
Resource Type: Research
Year: 2022
Region: Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
Country: Brazil
Publisher May Restrict Access: No