Community health workers (CHWs) are frontline health workers who play an important role in promoting access to health care, especially for underserved populations.
This article will explore the importance of CHWs in improving health outcomes, the challenges they face, and strategies to increase their effectiveness.
The importance of CHWs in improving health outcomes
CHWs are trained to provide a variety of health services, including health education, disease prevention, and treatment. They act as a link between the community and the formal health system, helping to identify and address community health needs.
Studies have shown that CHWs can significantly impact health outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged populations. For example, CHWs have been shown to reduce maternal and child mortality rates, improve access to health services, and increase health care utilization.
Challenges facing community health professionals
Despite the important role that CHWs play in promoting access to health care, they face a number of challenges that may limit their effectiveness.
These challenges include lack of recognition and support, inadequate training and supervision, limited resources and funding, and stigma and discrimination.
What strategies can help?
To provide better health care, we need to help community health workers build strategies for better health and more effective work practices. These strategies include:
- By investing in their training and supervision, empowering them with technology, creating supportive policies and systems, and enabling them to teach another health professional such as a family doctor, pharmacist or even a nurse.
- Strengthening CHW training and supervision can ensure that CHWs have the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their roles effectively. Ongoing support and supervision can ensure they provide quality care.
- Empowering CHWs through technology such as mobile health apps and telemedicine can help support their work and facilitate communication with other health care providers.
- Establishing supportive policies and systems can help remove barriers to CHW effectiveness, and collaboration with other health care providers can help ensure CHWs work effectively together as part of the health care team.
Community health worker programs
Effective CHW programs around the world provide essential insights into the aspects that contribute to their success.
For example:
- Brazil’s Family Health Strategy has been successful thanks to its strong political leadership, community involvement, and investment in training and oversight.
- Ethiopia’s Health Extension Program has been successful due to its focus on primary health care and the use of community-based health workers to deliver health services.
- India’s Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) program has been successful because of its focus on maternal and child health and its use of community-based health workers to promote health education and provide basic health services.
Final thoughts
CHWs play a vital role in promoting access to health care and improving health outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged populations. However, they face a number of obstacles that may limit their effectiveness.
Improving their effectiveness requires investing in their training and supervision, empowering them with technology, creating supportive policies and systems, and collaborating with other health care providers.