the aid library

Developing and Strengthening Community Health Worker Programs at Scale

Perry, H.; L. Crigler, et al. Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP) (2014)

A Reference Guide for Program Managers and Policy Makers. Recently, a renewed interest in large-scale community health worker (CHW) programs has been seen globally. This renewal provides an opportune moment to take stock of issues and challenges suc ... more

The Current State of CHW Training Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

Cindil Redick& annah Sarah Faich Dini One Million Community Health Workers Campaign | mPowering Frontline Health Workers (2014) C2

What We Know, What We Don’t Know, and What We Need to Do

The Current State of CHW Training Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: What We Know, What We Don’t Know, and What We Need to Do

C. Redick; H. S. Faich Dini; L.-A. Long One Million Community Worker Campaign; mPowering Frontline Health Workers (2014) C2

July 2014 This report was made possible through support provided by the One Million Community Health Workers Campaign, mPowering Frontline Health Workers, Intel, and USAID. This report was authored by Cindil Redick for mPowering Frontline Health Workers under the terms of Contract No. GHS-A-00-08 ... more

A Review of Community Health Worker (CHW) knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to the sexual health of MSM, including existing training materials and manuals in Europe & neighbouring countries

C. Folch; P. Fernández-Dávila; J. Palacio-Vieira; et al. European Commission; Centre d'Estudis Epidemiològics sobre les Infeccions de Transmissió Sexual i Sida de Catalunya (CEEISCAT); European AIDS Treatment Group (2020) C2

Accessed: 07.03.2020 A Review of Community Health Worker (CHW) knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to the sexual health of MSM, including existing training materials and manuals in Europe and neighbouring countries (D5.1) Contract 201 ... more

Community health workers at the dawn of a new era: 9. CHWs’ relationships with the health system and communities

Karen LeBan , Maryse Kok and Henry B. Perry Health Research Policy and Systems (2021) CC

This is the ninth paper in our series, “Community Health Workers at the Dawn of a New Era”. Community health workers (CHWs) are in an intermediary position between the health system and the community. While this position provides CHWs with a good platform to improve community health, a major cha ... more

Developing and Strengthening Community Health Worker Programs at Scale, A Reference Guide for Program Managers and Policy Makers

USAID, MCHIP (2013) CC

Recently, a renewed interest in large-scale community health worker (CHW) programs has been seen globally. This renewal provides an opportune moment to take stock of issues and challenges such programs face and what can be done to make them as effec ... more

Updated Program Functionality Matrix for Optimizing Community Health Programs

CHW Central; Community Health Impact Coalition; USAID; et al. (2018) C2

Qualitative assessment of community health workers’ perspective on their motivation in community-based primary health care in rural Malawi

Ndambo, M.K.; Munyaneza, F.; Aron, M.B. et al. BMC Health Services Research (2022) CC

Background: Community Health Workers (CHWs) have a positive impact on the provision of community-based primary health care through screening, treatment, referral, psychosocial support, and accompaniment. With a broad scope of work, CHW programs mu ... st balance the breadth and depth of tasks to maintain CHW motivation for high-quality care delivery. Few studies have described the CHW perspective on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to enhance their programmatic activities. Methods: We utilized an exploratory qualitative study design with CHWs employed in the household model in Neno District, Malawi, to explore their perspectives on intrinsic and extrinsic motivators and dissatisfiers in their work. Data was collected in 8 focus group discussions with 90 CHWs in October 2018 and March–April 2019 in seven purposively selected catchment areas. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed using Dedoose. Results: Themes of complex intrinsic and extrinsic factors were generated from the perspectives of the CHWs in the focus group discussions. Study results indicate that enabling factors are primarily intrinsic factors such as positive patient outcomes, community respect, and recognition by the formal health care system but can lead to the chal- lenge of increased scope and workload. Extrinsic factors can provide challenges, including an increased scope and workload from original expectations, lack of resources to utilize in their work, and rugged geography. However, a posi- tive work environment through supportive relationships between CHWs and supervisors enables the CHWs. Conclusion: This study demonstrated enabling factors and challenges for CHW performance from their perspec- tive within the dual-factor theory. We can mitigate challenges through focused efforts to limit geographical distance, manage workload, and strengthen CHW support to reinforce their recognition and trust. Such programmatic empha- sis can focus on enhancing motivational factors found in this study to improve the CHWs’ experience in their role. The engagement of CHWs, the communities, and the formal health care system is critical to improving the care provided to the patients and communities, along with building supportive systems to recognize the work done by CHWs for the primary health care systems. more

Community health workers to improve uptake of maternal healthcare services: A clusterrandomized pragmatic trial in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Geldsetzer, P.; Mboggo, E.; Larson, E.; et al. (2019) CC2

PLoS Med 16(3): e1002768. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002768 Home delivery and late and infrequent attendance at antenatal care (ANC) are responsible for substantial avoidable maternal and pediatric morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. This cluster-randomized trial aimed to de ... more

Plausible role for CHW peer support groups in increasing care-seeking in an integrated community case management project in Rwanda: a mixed methods evaluation

Langston, A., Weiss, J., Landegger, J., et al. Global Health: Science and Practice (2014) CC

The Kabeho Mwana project (2006–2011) supported the Rwanda Ministry of Health (MOH) in scaling up integrated community case management (iCCM) of childhood illness in 6 of Rwanda’s 30 districts. The project trained and equipped community health workers (CHWs) according to national guidelines. In p ... more

WHO guideline on health policy and system support to optimize community health worker programmes
recommended

World Health Organization WHO (2018) C_WHO

The guideline uses state-of-the-art evidence to identify effective policy options to strengthen community health worker (CHW) programme performance through their proper integration in health systems and communities. Successful delivery of services ... more

Optimizing community health worker programmes for HIV services: a guide for health policy and system support.

World Health Organization WHO (2021) C_WHO

This document synthesizes key elements of the World Health Organization (WHO) normative guidance on health policy and system support for community health worker (CHW) programmes and their application for HIV programmes. Building on relevant elements ... more

Community health workers at the dawn of a new era: 6. Recruitment, training, and continuing education

Meike J. Schleif, Iain Aitken , et al. Health Research Policy and Systems (2021) CC

This is the sixth of our 11-paper supplement entitled “Community Health Workers at the Dawn of New Era”. Expectations of community health workers (CHWs) have expanded in recent years to encompass a wider array of services to numerous subpopulations, engage communities to collaborate with and to ... more

Functionality Matrix for Optimizing Community Health Programs - Updated Program

Community Health Impact Coalition (2018) CC

As the global community aims to fulfill its commitments to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the achievement of universal health coverage, dozens of countries have committed to the expansion of community health workers (CHWs) as the front line of their healthcare systems [1, 2]. Robust resea ... more

CHW Central Resources

CHW Central (2021) CC

Accessed 15 July 2021 Your source for information about community health workers around the globe. Search Resources Learn More CHW Central believes that community health workers are key to achieving universal health coverage and reduci ... more

Rwanda’s evolving community health worker system: a qualitative assessment of client and provider perspectives

Condo J, et al. Human Resources for Health (2014) CC

This study highlights the challenges and areas in need of improvement as perceived by CHWs and beneficiaries, in regards to a nationwide scale-up of CHW interventions in a resource-challenged country. Identifying and understanding these barriers, an ... more

CHW Central. A Global Resource for and about Community Health Workers

CHW Central (2019) CC

CHW Central is an online community of practice that brings together program managers, experts, practitioners, researchers, and supporters of CHW programs. The website is a virtual meeting place to s ... more