CHWs

Measuring client trust in CHWs: A multi-country validation study

J Glob Health. 2021;11:07009. Published 2021 Mar 10. doi:10.7189/jogh.11.07009. [Full Article]

Sripad P, McClair TL, Casseus A, Hossain S, Abuya T, Gottert A

Abstract

Background
Client trust in community health workers (CHWs) is integral for improving quality and equity of community health systems globally. Despite its recognized conceptual and pragmatic importance across health areas, there are no quantitative measures of trust in the context of community health services. In this multi-country study, we aimed to develop and validate a scale that assesses trust in CHWs.

Methods
To develop the scale, we used a consultative process to conceptualize and adapt items and domains from prior literature to the CHW context. Content validity and comprehension of scale items were validated through 10 focus group discussions with 75 community members in Haiti, and Kenya. We then conducted 1939 surveys with clients who interacted with CHWs recently in Bangladesh (n = 1017), Haiti…

CHW interventions for older adults with complex health needs: A systematic review

J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 Mar 18. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17078. [Pubmed Abstract]

Kennedy MA, Hatchell KE, DiMilia PR, Kelly SM, Blunt HB, Bagley PJ, LaMantia MA, Reynolds CF 3rd, Crow RS, Maden TN, Kelly SL, Kihwele JM, Batsis JA

Abstract

Background/objectives:
The number of older adults with complex health needs is growing, and this population experiences disproportionate morbidity and mortality. Interventions led by community health workers (CHWs) can improve clinical outcomes in the general adult population with multimorbidity, but few studies have investigated CHW-delivered interventions in older adults.

Design:
We systematically reviewed the impact of CHW interventions on health outcomes among older adults with complex health needs. We searched for English-language articles from database inception through April 2020 using seven databases. PROSPERO protocol registration CRD42019118761.

Setting:
Any U.S. or international setting, including clinical and community-based…

CHWs and Covid-19 — Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Times of Crisis and Beyond

N Engl J Med. 2020 Sep 23. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp2022641. [Full Commentary]

Peretz PJ, Islam N, Matiz LA

New York City was the one of the first COVID-19 hot spots in the United States and necessitated a public health response that included community health workers. This piece in the New English Journal of Medicine shares experiences from New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, which are among the healthcare organizations that utilized CHWs into their COVID-19 response. In collaboration with community-based organizations, CHW teams proactively contacted socially isolated patients, connecting them with sources of critically important care and support. This experience has shown that, during times of crisis, CHWs may be the lone connection between some patients and an ever-changing — and increasingly digital — health care system.