By: Manjiri Sahasrabudhe

Every year, CHW Central collects and makes available in our resource database as many resources related to CHWs as we can find – articles, gray literature, and tools. In 2021, through the generous funding of the Network of the National Libraries of Medicine, we reviewed the 2021 CHW evidence with the aim of making this vast amount of information more accessible to all. In just 10 pages, the report summarizes the nature and key findings of 442 CHW articles, tools, and other resources on CHWs.  Each section highlights resources for further reading and the report includes a list of CHW Central’s top 10 reads for 2021.

The State of the Evidence highlights ways to improve CHW work globally and create sustainable interventions. The integral role CHWs play, and the need for government support for programs to be sustainable is emphasized.

For those that want to jump into the literature, this top 10 list of articles for 2021 may be of interest:

1. Understanding community health worker incentive preferences in Uganda using a discrete choice experiment
2. The role of governance in implementing sustainable global health interventions: review of health system integration for integrated community case management (iCCM) of childhood illnesses.
3. Barriers and facilitators of rendering HIV services by
4.  community health workers in sub-Saharan Africa: a meta-synthesis.
5. Challenges in the sociocultural milieu of South Asia: a systematic review of community health workers
6. Addressing Emotional Wellness During the COVID-19 Pandemic: the Role of Promotores in Delivering Integrated Mental Health Care and Social Services
7. Health for the People: Past, Current, and Future Contributions of National Community Health Worker Programs to Achieving Global Health Goals
8. The Lived Experiences of Community Health Workers Serving in a Large-Scale Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Intervention Trial in Rural Bangladesh
9. The critical importance of community health workers as first responders to COVID-19 in USA
10. Clinical outcomes of a community clinic-based lifestyle change program for prevention and management of metabolic syndrome: Results of the ‘Vida Sana/Healthy Life’ program
11. Community health workers at the dawn of a new era

In partnership with CHW associations and coalitions in the New England region, we conducted an additional review of the 2021 evidence on CHW programs and interventions in the region and on major health topic for the populations CHWs serve in the northeast. The New England State of the Evidence features similar CHW needs, but is also a call to action to support NE CHWs to continue and expand support to CHWs providing services for chronic illnesses: diabetes, hypertension and substance use.

The aim of these summaries is to further increase access to the latest evidence and improve learning and dissemination of successful practices to enhance CHW services and improve working conditions. Our hope is that these 2021 State of the Evidence summaries will be the first of many.