This paper looks at why many CHW programs struggle and argues that poor planning, unrealistic expectations, and underestimated workloads play a big part. It notes that even before COVID-19, many low- and middle-income countries were already using digital tools to address health challenges, but we still know little about how e-governance can support a strong and sustainable CHW … [Read more...] about Sustaining Community Health Workforce Through E-Governance: Addressing Motivation, Retention, and Public Health Resilience
Implementation of an integrated community-based suicide prevention programme, Gujarat, India: cluster randomised controlled trial
This study tested a large suicide-prevention program in rural India. The program combined school lessons on mental health, safe storage of pesticides, and CHW training to spot and support people at risk. Across 124 villages, the program did not reduce the overall number of suicide attempts and deaths when combined, but it did lead to fewer deaths by suicide. Students who … [Read more...] about Implementation of an integrated community-based suicide prevention programme, Gujarat, India: cluster randomised controlled trial
Program Outcomes from a Novel Outreach Network to Increase Breast Cancer Screening Uptake in Washington, DC
After COVID-19, many women from minority communities delayed breast cancer screening. To address this, the GW Cancer Center trained local residents to become Neighborhood Health Ambassadors who completed CHW training and a practicum, then carried out outreach and education in their own neighborhoods. Over one year, these ambassadors reached more than two thousand people across … [Read more...] about Program Outcomes from a Novel Outreach Network to Increase Breast Cancer Screening Uptake in Washington, DC
Effect of healthcare worker vs. non-health worker delivered health education on modern contraceptive uptake among women in Malawi: a quasi-experimental study
This study looked at whether women in two districts in Malawi were more likely to use modern contraceptives when the information came from health workers or from community figures like religious leaders, traditional leaders, peers, or the media. Among the 414 women surveyed, contraceptive use was almost the same in both groups. The small difference found wasn’t meaningful. The … [Read more...] about Effect of healthcare worker vs. non-health worker delivered health education on modern contraceptive uptake among women in Malawi: a quasi-experimental study
Optimizing community health workers and nonbiomedical approaches to assess the burden of soil-transmitted helminthiasis in a school-aged population in rural Rwanda
This study explored whether community health workers in rural Rwanda could use a simple checklist to spot children who might have worm infections. CHWs screened 746 students and referred many for treatment or gave deworming medicine at school. Children who had regular CHW follow-up and those who didn’t walk barefoot were less likely to show symptoms. The results suggest that … [Read more...] about Optimizing community health workers and nonbiomedical approaches to assess the burden of soil-transmitted helminthiasis in a school-aged population in rural Rwanda