Digitalizing Community Health

2021 ◽  
pp. 308-326
Author(s):  
Marine Al Dahdah ◽  
Alok Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Health ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
The Other ◽  
Automated System ◽  
The One

Through the study of ‘Motech’—a global mHealth programme on maternal health implemented in Ghana and India—this chapter offers the first analysis of the use of mobile phones as a tool in such programmes. This chapter focuses on the particular role of community health workers in establishing this programme. It questions the competing strategies to enhance or substitute these workers that are linked to the expansion of these new technical artefacts. This vision—of the health worker assisted by the mobile—is twofold: on the one hand, it would make the health worker efficient and omniscient; on the other hand, it calls into question the knowledge of health workers and their autonomy through an automated system of communication. This research provides a better understanding of the special status of mobile phones and mHealth applications for community health workers and how their use changes the practice of community health.

scholarly journals Exploring the Role of Community Health Workers in Providing Cancer Navigation: Perceptions of African American Older Adults

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. E288-E298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Wenzel ◽  
Randy Jones ◽  
Rachel Klimmek ◽  
Sarah Szanton ◽  
Sharon Krumm
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
African American ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
African American Older Adults

Networking community health workers for service integration: role of social media

AIDS Care ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Li Li ◽  
Chunqing Lin ◽  
Loc Quang Pham ◽  
Diep Bich Nguyen ◽  
Tuan Anh Le
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Service Integration

scholarly journals Integrating a nationally scaled workforce of community health workers in primary care: a modelling study

2018 ◽  
Vol 111 (12) ◽  
pp. 453-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedict Hayhoe ◽  
Thomas E Cowling ◽  
Virimchi Pillutla ◽  
Priya Garg ◽  
Azeem Majeed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
General Practice ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Community Health Worker ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Cancer Screenings ◽  
Home Based

Objective To model cost and benefit of a national community health worker workforce. Design Modelling exercise based on all general practices in England. Setting United Kingdom National Health Service Primary Care. Participants Not applicable. Data sources Publicly available data on general practice demographics, population density, household size, salary scales and screening and immunisation uptake. Main outcome measures We estimated numbers of community health workers needed, anticipated workload and likely benefits to patients. Results Conservative modelling suggests that 110,585 community health workers would be needed to cover the general practice registered population in England, costing £2.22bn annually. Assuming community health workerss could engage with and successfully refer 20% of eligible unscreened or unimmunised individuals, an additional 753,592 cervical cancer screenings, 365,166 breast cancer screenings and 482,924 bowel cancer screenings could be expected within respective review periods. A total of 16,398 additional children annually could receive their MMR1 at 12 months and 24,716 their MMR2 at five years of age. Community health workerss would also provide home-based health promotion and lifestyle support to patients with chronic disease. Conclusion A scaled community health worker workforce integrated into primary care may be a valuable policy alternative. Pilot studies are required to establish feasibility and impact in NHS primary care.

What are the roles of community health workers? Looking back at the philosophies of primary health care

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-120
Author(s):  
Marietou Niang
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Health System ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Looking Back

This commentary discusses the different roles of community health workers (CHWs), their challenges and limitations in a historical perspective of primary health care (PHC). We first try to show that the comprehensive philosophy of PHC promulgated in Alma-Ata proposed the role of CHWs as actors who work in community development. On the other hand, in the 1980s, with the emergence of the selective philosophy of PHC, CHWs’ role was more affiliated with the health system. We conclude our pitch about the balance that can exist between these different roles by suggesting that CHWs can work in continuity with the health system, but they should not be considered as affordable labor. Also, they must be supported in their activities to develop their communities, allowing them to participate effectively in programs and policies that concern them and their community.

scholarly journals An analysis of the services provided by Community Health Workers within an urban district in South Africa: a key contribution towards universal access to care.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leena Susan Thomas ◽  
Eric Buch ◽  
Yogan Pillay
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Access To Care ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Community Health Worker ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Early Screening

Abstract Introduction: Community health worker teams are potential game-changers in ensuring access to care in vulnerable communities. Who are they? What do they actually do? Can they help South Africa realize universal health coverage? As the proactive arm of the health services, community health workers teams provide household and community education, early screening, tracing and referrals for a range of health and social services. There is little local or global evidence on the household services provided by such teams, beyond specific disease-oriented activities such as for HIV and TB. This paper seeks to address this gap.Methods: Descriptive secondary data analysis of community health worker team activities in the Ekurhuleni health district, South Africa covering approximately 280 000 households with one million people. Results: Study findings illustrated that community health workers in these teams provided early screening and referrals for pregnant women and children under five. They distributed condoms and chronic medication to homes. They screened and referred for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, HIV and TB. The teams also undertook defaulter and contact tracing, the majority of which was for HIV & TB clients. Psychosocial support provided was in the form of access to social grants, access to child and gender-based violence protection services, food parcels and other services.Conclusion: Community Health Workers form the core of these teams and perform several health and psychosocial services in households and poor communities in South Africa, in addition to general health education. The teams studied provided a range of activities across many health conditions (mother & child related, HIV & TB, non-communicable diseases), as well as social services. These teams provided comprehensive care in a large-scale urban setting and can improve access to care.

scholarly journals Role of home visits by volunteer community health workers: to improve the coverage of micronutrient powders in rural Bangladesh

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haribondhu Sarma ◽  
Mduduzi NN Mbuya ◽  
Md Tariqujjaman ◽  
Mahfuzur Rahman ◽  
Sufia Askari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Home Visit ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Home Visits ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Effective Coverage ◽  
Micronutrient Powder ◽  
Independent Effects

Abstract Objective: We assessed the role of home visits by Shasthya Shebika (SS) – female volunteer community health workers (CHWs) – in improving the distribution of micronutrient powder (MNP), and explored the independent effects of caregiver–provider interaction on coverage variables. Design: We used data from three cross-sectional surveys undertaken at baseline (n 1927), midline (n 1924) and endline (n 1540) as part of an evaluation of a home fortification programme. We defined an exposure group as one that had at least one SS visit to the caregiver’s household in the 12 months preceding the survey considering three outcome variables – message (ever heard), contact (ever used) and effective coverage (regular used) of MNP. We performed multiple logistic regressions to explore the determinants of coverage, employed an ‘interaction term’ and calculated an odds ratio (OR) to assess the modifying effect of SS’s home visits on coverage. Settings: Sixty-eight sub-districts from ten districts of Bangladesh. Participants: Children aged 6–59 months and their caregivers. Results: A home visit from an SS positively impacts message coverage at both midline (ratio of OR 1·70; 95 % CI 1·25, 2·32; P < 0·01) and endline (ratio of OR 3·58; 95 % CI 2·22, 5·78; P < 0·001), and contact coverage both at midline (ratio of OR 1·48; 95 % CI 1·06, 2·07; P = 0·021) and endline (ratio of OR 1·74; 95 % CI 1·23, 2·47; P = 0·002). There was no significant effect of a SS’s home visit on effective coverage. Conclusions: The households visited by BRAC’s volunteer CHWs have better message and contact coverage among the children aged 6–59 months.

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