The Ebola virus outbreak in 2013 revealed that health delivery systems in western Africa were not well-equipped to handle such epidemics. This paper argues that robust community health worker programs should be implemented as a strategy for improving global health responses to disasters such as the Ebola outbreak. Because CHWs have built strong relationships with the … [Read more...] about Community health worker programmes after the 2013–2016 Ebola outbreak
Community Change Agents: “Doctors” of Malaria Information
Presented at the International Social and Behavioral Change Communication Summit in Ethiopia in February 2016, Ainslie’s PowerPoint presentation goes into detail about the COMMIT Program, a behavior change communication project for malaria prevention, treatment, and control in Tanzania. Key to the project is the utilization of Community Change Agents who communicated the … [Read more...] about Community Change Agents: “Doctors” of Malaria Information
Enhancing the Supervision of Community Health Workers With WhatsApp Mobile Messaging: Qualitative Findings From 2 Low-Resource Settings in Kenya
Using the popular mobile application WhatsApp, a mobile learning intervention was developed and designed to strengthen supervisory support for CHWs in Kenya. 6 months of conversations were analyzed and CHWs and supervisors interviewed to determine how WhatsApp was used in these settings. This preliminary data suggests that CHWs and their supervisors can be effectively trained … [Read more...] about Enhancing the Supervision of Community Health Workers With WhatsApp Mobile Messaging: Qualitative Findings From 2 Low-Resource Settings in Kenya
Factors Associated With Community Health Worker Performance Differ by Task in a Multi-Tasked Setting in Rural Zimbabwe
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 … [Read more...] about Factors Associated With Community Health Worker Performance Differ by Task in a Multi-Tasked Setting in Rural Zimbabwe
Improving the quality of care of children in community clinics: an intervention and evaluation in Bangladesh
Using a newly developed case-management job aid based upon the WHO Integrated Management of Childhood Illness guide, community health care providers (CHCPs) in Bangladesh were trained to measure changes in knowledge. After the training, the CHCPs clearly improved their knowledge and provided better quality care to patients. Results from this study could be used to improve … [Read more...] about Improving the quality of care of children in community clinics: an intervention and evaluation in Bangladesh