scholarly journals Nonclinical Sexual Health Support for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections in Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men: Protocol for a European Community Health Worker Online Survey (ECHOES)

10.2196/15012 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e15012
Author(s):  
Nigel Sherriff ◽  
Jorg Huber ◽  
Nick McGlynn ◽  
Carrie Llewellyn ◽  
Alex Pollard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Community Health Worker ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Sex With Men

Background The term “community health worker” (CHW) can apply to a wide range of individuals providing health services and support for diverse populations. Very little is known about the role of CHWs in Europe working in nonclinical settings who promote sexual health and prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Objective This paper describes the development and piloting of the first European Community Health Worker Online Survey (ECHOES) as part of the broader European Union-funded ESTICOM (European Surveys and Trainings to Improve MSM Community Health) project. The questionnaire aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of CHWs providing sexual health services to gay, bisexual, and other MSM in European settings. Methods ECHOES comprises three superordinate domains divided into 10 subsections with 175 items (routed) based on a scoping exercise and literature review, online prepiloting, and Europe-wide consultation. Additional piloting and cognitive debriefing interviews with stakeholders were conducted to identify comprehension issues and improve the clarity, intelligibility, accessibility, and acceptability of the survey. Psychometric properties, including internal consistency of the standardized scales used as part of the survey were examined. The final survey was available to 33 countries in 16 languages. Results Recruitment closed on January 31, 2018. Data from 1035 CHWs were available for analysis after application of the exclusion criteria. The findings of the ECHOES survey and the wider ESTICOM project, are now available from the ESTICOM website and/or by contacting the first author. Conclusions The findings of this survey will help characterize, for the first time, the diverse role of CHWs who provide sexual health services to gay, bisexual, and other MSM in Europe. Importantly, the data will be used to inform the content and design of a dedicated training program for CHWs as part of the larger ESTICOM project and provide recommendations for MSM-specific strategies to improve sexual health in general and to reduce the incidence and prevalence of HIV, viral hepatitis, and other STIs in particular. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR1-10.2196/15012

scholarly journals Non-clinical sexual health support for HIV, viral hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted infections in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men: Protocol for a European Community Health Worker Online Survey (ECHOES) (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Sherriff ◽  
Jorg Huber ◽  
Nicholas McGlynn ◽  
Carrie Llewellyn ◽  
Alex Pollard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Community Health Worker ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Bisexual Men ◽  
Sex With Men

UNSTRUCTURED Background: The term Community Health Worker (CHW) can apply to a wide range of individuals providing health services and support for diverse populations. Very little is known about the role of CHWs in Europe who work in non-clinical settings and who promote sexual health and prevent HIV/STI among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Objective: This paper describes the development and piloting of the first European Community Health Worker Online Survey (ECHOES) as part of the broader European Union (EU) funded ESTICOM project. The questionnaire aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of CHWs providing sexual health services to gay men, bisexual men and other MSM in European settings. Methods and analysis: ECHOES comprises of three superordinate domains divided into 10 subsections with 175 items (routed) based on a scoping exercise and literature review, online pre-piloting and a Europe-wide consultation. Additional piloting and cognitive debriefing interviews with stakeholders were conducted to identify comprehension issues and improve the clarity, intelligibility, accessibility, and acceptability of the survey. Psychometric properties including internal consistency of the standardised scales used as part of the survey including internal consistency were examined. The final survey was available in 16 languages. Results: Recruitment closed on 31 January 2018. A total of 1,035 community health workers were available for analysis, after application of exclusion criteria. Discussion: The findings of the survey will be available in late 2019 and will help characterise for the first time, the diverse role of CHWs who provide sexual health services to gay men, bisexual men and other MSM in Europe. Importantly, the data will be used to inform the content and design of a dedicated training programme for CHWs as part of the larger European Union (EU) funded ESTICOM project and provide recommendations for EU strategies to improve sexual health in general and to reduce HIV, viral hepatitis and other STIs incidence and prevalence in particular.

scholarly journals Does online sexually transmitted infection screening compromise care? A service evaluation comparing the management of chlamydial infection diagnosed online and in clinic

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 528-532
Author(s):  
Nur Gasmelsid ◽  
Benjamin CB Moran ◽  
Tom Nadarzynski ◽  
Rajul Patel ◽  
Elizabeth Foley
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infection ◽  
Chlamydial Infection ◽  
Service Evaluation ◽  
Transmitted Infection ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
The United Kingdom

Patient demand on sexual health services in the United Kingdom is so high that many services have introduced online screening to accommodate more patients. There are concerns that these services may not be accessible to all. This service evaluation was undertaken to determine whether online screening is accessible by those patients most at need by comparing the demographics and number of asymptomatic chlamydial infections detected online and in clinic. No difference was found in the age nor level of deprivation, demonstrating that online services are an accessible way to screen for sexually transmitted infections without overburdening established services.

The Role of Evaluation in Developing and Sustaining Community Health Worker Coalitions

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 284-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edith C. Kieffer ◽  
Nicholas Yankey ◽  
Katherine Mitchell ◽  
Caitlin G. Allen ◽  
Mary R. Janevic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Community Health Worker

scholarly journals Defining the Role of the Community Health Worker within a Federal Healthy Start Care Coordination Team

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (S1) ◽  
pp. 93-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Raffo ◽  
Celeste Lloyd ◽  
Monica Collier ◽  
LaDynah Slater ◽  
Belinda Cunningham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Community Health Worker ◽  
Care Coordination ◽  
Healthy Start ◽  
Coordination Team

scholarly journals Setting up a family planning and reproductive health programme

2019 ◽  
pp. 313-333
Author(s):  
Clare Goodhart ◽  
Ted Lankester ◽  
Claire Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
The Family ◽  
Child Spacing ◽  
Health Programme

This chapter explains the importance of family planning and child spacing from a variety of perspectives. It outlines the difficulty of access to family planning for large numbers of people, and the barriers that exist for its widespread uptake. It describes in some detail the range of contraceptives and their different uses. It describes ways in which supplies can be sold, distributed, and managed at community level. It describes the roles of the family planning provider and community health worker (CHW) and emphasizes the importance of reliable and accessible supplies. The chapter also gives information on sexually transmitted infections (STIs), their causes and types, and how they can best be controlled and treated.

scholarly journals Health Facility-based Counselling and Community Outreach are Associated with Maternal Dietary Practices in a Cross-sectional Study from Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk A. Dearden ◽  
Ramu Bishwakarma ◽  
Benjamin T. Crookston ◽  
Benesta T. Masau ◽  
Generose I. Mulokozi
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Community Health Worker ◽  
Children's Health ◽  
Dietary Behaviors ◽  
Access To Health Services ◽  
Dietary Practices ◽  
Access To Health

Abstract Background: Anemia and underweight among women are major public health challenges. Access to health services can improve dietary behaviors and women’s nutritional status. We examined whether exposure to health services is associated with women’s dietary practices in Tanzania.Methods: Data come from a two-stage, randomized baseline survey among 5,000 female primary caregivers prior to implementing a maternal and child nutrition program. We ran frequencies on women’s exposure to existing health facility-based counselling, community health worker visits, and attendance at women’s support groups. We examined associations between exposure to these interventions and maternal diets and adjusted for sociodemographic covariates using ordinary least squares regression and ordered logistic regression.Results: A third of the sample (34.1 percent) had received any antenatal care (ANC) during their most recent pregnancy or had been advised by anyone about nutrition (37.0 percent). 68.0 percent had never had a community health worker (CHW) speak to them about their children’s health and 9.4 percent had participated in a women’s group. Only 8.0 percent of mothers ate more than usual during pregnancy and 7.1 percent ate more types of foods. After adjusting for mother’s age, education and household assets, women who received nutrition advice were 1.3 times (95 percent CI: 1.1, 1.7) more likely than mothers who did not to eat more during pregnancy. Receiving ANC and advice on nutrition before, during, and after pregnancy and delivery were highly associated with the mother eating more types of foods. Hearing from a CHW about children’s health but not support group attendance was often associated with various dietary practices. Almost all measures of access to health services were significantly associated with mothers’ frequency of eating in the previous 24 hours. Receiving advice on nutrition during pregnancy and after giving birth and CHW contact were associated with mothers’ dietary diversity in the previous 24 hours. Conclusions: Several program exposure variables—especially being counselled about nutrition—were associated with improved dietary practices. Improving service delivery at scale may contribute to improved dietary behaviors in larger populations, given the associations we describe, along with findings from the existing literature.

scholarly journals Choose to test: self-selected testing for sexually transmitted infections within an online service

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 171-174
Author(s):  
Jonathan Syred ◽  
Gillian Holdsworth ◽  
Chris Howroyd ◽  
Kez Spelman ◽  
Paula Baraitser
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Online Service ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Blood Tests ◽  
Syphilis Testing ◽  
Routinely Collected Data ◽  
Sexual Health Service ◽  
Sex With Men

ObjectiveTo describe the outcomes of user-led, choice of test within an online sexual health service.MethodsWe analysed routinely collected data from a free, online sexual health service in Essex, UK that enabled users to select their tests. The service website provided information on all sexually transmitted infections, recommended a testing package based on sexuality and ethnicity, and invited users to modify this if they chose. Data on orders were analysed for the 6 months before (May–October 2016) and after (October–April 2017) implementation.ResultsWe compared 7550 orders from 6253 users before and 9785 orders from 7772 users after implementation. There was no difference in the proportion of chlamydia (p=0.57) or gonorrhoea (p=0.79) tests that were positive between the two periods. HIV and syphilis positives were too few in our sample during both periods for analysis. During implementation, men who have sex with men (530 users) were offered genital, rectal and oral chlamydia and gonorrhoea testing plus HIV and syphilis testing. In 17.2% of orders, users removed tests. Black or ethnic minority users excluding those who reported as men who have sex with men (805 users) were offered chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HIV testing. In 77.9% of orders, users added a test. All other users were offered chlamydia and gonorrhoea tests only. In 65.2% of orders, users added tests. We observed a reduction in orders of 3083 blood tests (31%).ConclusionUsers engaged with the ‘choose to test’ intervention. Although a majority added tests, the intervention was cost saving by reducing the HIV and syphilis tests ordered.

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