Research

Do lay or community health workers in primary health care improve maternal and child health and tuberculosis outcomes? A SUPPORT Summary of a systematic review

This systematic review is helpful for people who need to make decisions about the use of lay health workers in primary and community care delivery. The authors reviewed 82 studies to assess the effects of lay health worker interventions on improving MCH and TB outcomes. Key findings and considerations of relevance for low and middle income countries are included outcomes. … [Read more...] about Do lay or community health workers in primary health care improve maternal and child health and tuberculosis outcomes? A SUPPORT Summary of a systematic review

This article presents the findings of a project to promote exclusive breastfeeding in rural communities through the training of community health extension workers in rural Nigeria. The authors found that the training of extension health workers in rural communities is feasible, can have a beneficial impact on breastfeeding promotion, and that such training should be continued … [Read more...] about The Ife South Breastfeeding Project: training community health extension workers to promote and manage breastfeeding in rural communities

This global survey documents the preliminary research and findings that the JSI team compiled to inform the final project document, Supply Chain Models and Considerations for Community‐Based Distribution Programs: A Program Manager’s Guide. It can be used as a reference to any person or organization interested in CBD programs. … [Read more...] about Promising Practices in Supply Chain Management for Community-Based Distribution Programs: Global Survey of CBD Programs

This study assessed the impacts of use of rapid malaria diagnostic tests (RDTs) by CHWs on the provision of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) and health outcome in fever patients in Tanzania. The authors found that RDTs administered by CHWs may improve early and well-targeted ACT treatment in malaria patients at community level. However, the effect and impact of RDT, … [Read more...] about Malaria Rapid Testing by Community Health Workers is Effective and Safe for Targeting Malaria Treatment: Randomised Cross-Over Trial in Tanzania

This study examined: (i) whether Zambian CHWs could prepare and interpret RDTs accurately and safely using manufacturer's instructions alone; (ii) whether mostly pictorial instructions (a "job aid") could raise performance; and (iii) whether a brief training program would produce further improvement. The authors found that manufacturers' instructions, like those provided with … [Read more...] about Improving community health worker use of malaria rapid diagnostic tests in Zambia: package instructions, job aid and job aid-plus-training