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Experiences engaging community health workers to provide maternal and newborn health services: Implementation of four programs
Author(s) -
Haver Jaime,
Brieger William,
Zoungrana Jérémie,
Ansari Nasratullah,
Kagoma Jean
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2015.03.006
Subject(s) - medicine , community health workers , psychological intervention , health promotion , nursing , promotion (chess) , community health , health care , program evaluation , medical education , health services , environmental health , economic growth , public health , population , politics , political science , law , economics , public administration
Abstract A paucity of skilled health providers is a considerable impediment to reducing maternal, infant, and under‐five mortality for many low‐resource countries. Although evidence supports the effectiveness of community health workers (CHWs) in delivering primary healthcare services, shifting tasks to this cadre from providers with advanced training has been pursued with overall caution—both because of difficulties determining an appropriate package of CHW services and to avoid overburdening the cadre. We reviewed programs in Rwanda, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Nepal where tasks in delivery of health promotion information and distribution of commodities were transitioned to CHWs to reach underserved populations. The community‐based interventions were complementary to facility‐based interventions as part of a comprehensive approach to increase access to basic health services. Drawing on these experiences, we illuminate commonalities, lessons learned, and factors contributing to the programs’ implementation strategies to help inform practical application in other settings.