Health disparities in women’s health, particularly among marginalized groups, persist due to structural factors like discrimination, lack of access to care, and socioeconomic inequities. This study reviews how structural competence, which trains healthcare providers to recognize these systemic issues, can address health inequalities. Key findings include the role of community … [Read more...] about Towards Health Justice: Implementing Structural Competency in Women’s Healthcare Education Towards Health Justice
Evaluation
ASHABot: An LLM-Powered Chatbot to Support the Informational Needs of Community Health Workers
This paper discusses ASHABot, a WhatsApp chatbot powered by AI, designed to help community health workers (CHWs) in India by providing them with medical information. The chatbot allowed CHWs to ask basic or sensitive questions privately, which they might hesitate to ask their supervisors. CHWs trusted ASHABot’s information and saw it as reliable. Supervisors also contributed … [Read more...] about ASHABot: An LLM-Powered Chatbot to Support the Informational Needs of Community Health Workers
Prevalence of onchocerciasis and epilepsy in a Tanzanian region after a prolonged community-directed treatment with ivermectin
A study conducted in Mahenge, Tanzania, aimed to assess the prevalence of onchocerciasis and epilepsy after 25 years of ivermectin treatment. Community health workers (CHWs) played a key role by conducting door-to-door household surveys, screening individuals for epilepsy, and helping with onchocerciasis testing. The study found that 11.8% of children tested positive for … [Read more...] about Prevalence of onchocerciasis and epilepsy in a Tanzanian region after a prolonged community-directed treatment with ivermectin
Utilizing Perinatal Patient Navigation to Address Self-Identified Social Determinants of Health in Pregnancy
Maternal health issues, particularly among non-Hispanic Black women, remain a challenge in the U.S. despite medical advancements. Disparities stem from various factors, including community, hospital, provider, and patient influences. Community-based care navigation, using patient navigators and community health workers, has been effective in improving maternal healthcare by … [Read more...] about Utilizing Perinatal Patient Navigation to Address Self-Identified Social Determinants of Health in Pregnancy
Gestational diabetes knowledge improves with interactive online training modules
Women with gestational diabetes (GDM) have a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but diabetes education is often lacking. To address this, four online training modules were created for nurses and community health workers. A pilot study measured changes in knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and intentions to recommend diabetes prevention before and after the training. Among … [Read more...] about Gestational diabetes knowledge improves with interactive online training modules
