Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28222653›Full record

SynthesisGlobal health action2017

Who is a community health worker? - a systematic review of definitions.

Abimbola Olaniran, Helen Smith, Regine Unkels, Sarah Bar-Zeev, Nynke van den Broek

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Global health action, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 212 papers, 14 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
212citing papers in PubMed, 14 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

212 citing papers in PubMed, 14 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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152 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Abimbola Olanirana Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health , Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine , Liverpool , UK.
Helen Smitha Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health , Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine , Liverpool , UK.
Regine Unkelsa Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health , Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine , Liverpool , UK.
Sarah Bar-Zeeva Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health , Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine , Liverpool , UK.
Nynke van den Broeka Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health , Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine , Liverpool , UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCommunity health workers (CHWs) can play vital roles in increasing coverage of basic health services. However, there is a need for a systematic categorisation of CHWs that will aid common understanding among policy makers, programme planners, and researchers.

objectiveTo identify the common themes in the definitions and descriptions of CHWs that will aid delineation within this cadre and distinguish CHWs from other healthcare providers.

designA systematic review of peer-reviewed papers and grey literature.

resultsWe identified 119 papers that provided definitions of CHWs in 25 countries across 7 regions. The review shows CHWs as paraprofessionals or lay individuals with an in-depth understanding of the community culture and language, have received standardised job-related training of a shorter duration than health professionals, and their primary goal is to provide culturally appropriate health services to the community. CHWs can be categorised into three groups by education and pre-service training. These are lay health workers (individuals with little or no formal education who undergo a few days to a few weeks of informal training), level 1 paraprofessionals (individuals with some form of secondary education and subsequent informal training), and level 2 paraprofessionals (individuals with some form of secondary education and subsequent formal training lasting a few months to more than a year). Lay health workers tend to provide basic health services as unpaid volunteers while level 1 paraprofessionals often receive an allowance and level 2 paraprofessionals tend to be salaried.

conclusionsThis review provides a categorisation of CHWs that may be useful for health policy formulation, programme planning, and research.

Indexed as

Job DescriptionTerminology as TopicAdultCommunity Health WorkersFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedVolunteershealth workforceLay health workerrolescope of practice

Identifiers

PMID28222653
PMCPMC5328349

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.