Factors Associated With Community Health Worker Performance Differ by Task in a Multi-Tasked Setting in Rural Zimbabwe

Authors: Rukundo A Kambarami, Mduduzi NN Mbuya, David Pelletier, Dadirai Fundira, Naume V Tavengwa, and Rebecca J Stoltzfus

CHWs importantly deliver health care services to communities when shortages in the healthcare workforce exist. However, as their workload increases, CHW abilities to provide quality healthcare may be compromised. Using a cluster-randomized trial in Zimbabwe, CHWs were surveyed to assess the association between demographic and work characteristics and task performance. CHWs who made more referrals shared many common demographic and work characteristics, implying that these factors influence performance. These findings can be used to examine and identify other factors associated with the quality of program delivery.