To decrease child mortality due to common but life-threatening illnesses, community health workers (CHWs) are trained to assess, classify and treat sick children. For pneumonia, CHWs are trained to count the respiratory rate of a child with cough and/or difficulty breathing, and determine whether the child has fast breathing or not based on how the child’s breath count relates … [Read more...] about The use of counting beads to improve the classification of fast breathing in low-resource settings: a multi-country review
Journal articles
Addressing the social determinants of health: a case study from the Mitanin (community health worker) programme in India
The Mitanin Programme, a government community health worker (CHW) programme, was started in Chhattisgarh State of India in 2002. The CHWs (Mitanins) have consistently adopted roles that go beyond health programme- specific interventions to embrace community mobilization and action on local priorities. The aim of this research was to document how and why the Mitanins have been … [Read more...] about Addressing the social determinants of health: a case study from the Mitanin (community health worker) programme in India
Poor retention does not have to be the rule: retention of volunteer community health workers in Uganda
Globally, health worker shortages continue to plague developing countries. Community health workers are increasingly being promoted to extend primary health care to underserved populations. Since 2004, Healthy Child Uganda (HCU) has trained volunteer community health workers in child health promotion in rural southwest Uganda. This study analyses the retention and motivation of … [Read more...] about Poor retention does not have to be the rule: retention of volunteer community health workers in Uganda
Which intervention design factors influence performance of community health workers in low- and middle-income countries? A systematic review.
Community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly recognized as an integral component of the health workforce needed to achieve public health goals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Many factors influence CHW performance. A systematic review was conducted to identify intervention design related factors influencing performance of CHWs. A mix of financial and … [Read more...] about Which intervention design factors influence performance of community health workers in low- and middle-income countries? A systematic review.
Effect on participatory women’s groups facilitated by Accredited Social Health Activists on birth outcomes in rural eastern India: a cluster-randomized controlled trial
A quarter of the world's neonatal deaths and 15% of maternal deaths happen in India. Few community-based strategies to improve maternal and newborn health have been tested through the country's government-approved Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs). This study aimed to test the effect of participatory women's groups facilitated by ASHAs on birth outcomes, including … [Read more...] about Effect on participatory women’s groups facilitated by Accredited Social Health Activists on birth outcomes in rural eastern India: a cluster-randomized controlled trial
