Effectiveness of Community Health Workers

Evidence supports Community Health Workers (CHWs) effectiveness in delivering a range of preventive, promotional and curative health services; reducing inequities in access to care; and supporting the empowerment of communities to demand social accountability from their governments and others to provide coverage of quality primary healthcare services. CHWs have the potential to contribute to the realization of health-related goals, including universal health coverage. CHWs role should be clearly defined and they should be integrated into the health system and communities. CHWs are effective when supported in their education, career development, supervised, appropriately remunerated, and working under safe and decent conditions. Effective CHW initiatives and programs should start with a situation analysis of population needs, health systems requirements and resource implications. WHO guideline recommendations to optimize CHW programs should be adapted and contextualized to the reality of a specific health system.