ArticleAfrican journal of primary health care & family medicine2022
The role of community health workers in palliative care in a rural subdistrict in South Africa.
Article in African journal of primary health care & family medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Primary palliative care in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and thematic synthesis of the evidence for models and outcomes.Palliative medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Community-based pediatric palliative care: a systematic review of structures, processes, and outcomes.Jornal de pediatriaPooled it
- Improving Cancer Awareness and Knowledge in Johannesburg and iLembe Districts Through a Tailored Community-Based Educational Intervention: A Pilot Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Operationalising palliative care integration: Experiences of implementers in South Africa.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2026Article
- Building bridges to care: A co-created community palliative care package for resource-limited settings.Palliative care and social practice · 2026Article
- Contexts, mechanisms and outcomes of home-based palliative care implementation in low- and middle-income countries: A realist review.Palliative care and social practice · 2026Review
- Article
- The bittersweet experiences of providers of Home-Based Palliative Care (HBPalC): a qualitative study on the provider perspectives of HBPalC in Kerala, India.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- "You go an extra mile": a qualitative study of community health worker perspectives in a health promotion intervention in urban South Africa.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Context factors for implementation of clinical recommendations for chronic musculoskeletal pain.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2024Article
- The role of community health workers in non-communicable diseases in Cape Town, South Africa: descriptive exploratory qualitative study.BMC primary care · 2024Article
- Impact of training on knowledge, confidence and attitude amongst community health volunteers in the provision of community-based palliative care in rural Kenya.BMC palliative care · 2024Article
- Palliative care in a rural subdistrict in South Africa: A 4-year critical review.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2024Review
- Palliative care in Ethiopia's rural and regional health care settings: a qualitative study of enabling factors and implementation challenges.BMC palliative care · 2023Article
- Perceived policy-related barriers to palliative care implementation: a qualitative descriptive study.Palliative care and social practice · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEffective palliative care is an urgent humanitarian need, particularly in less developed countries, including South Africa (SA). People can be palliated within their communities, motivating the integration of palliative care into primary healthcare systems. While community health workers (CHWs) play a vital role in health coverage at the primary care level, literature on their roles in palliation is limited.
aimTo explore the roles of CHWs in palliative care delivery in a rural subdistrict in SA.
settingThis study was conducted in the George subdistrict of the Western Cape province, SA.
methodsA descriptive qualitative study explored the perceptions of a wide range of stakeholders (n = 39) of CHWs' roles in palliative care. Data were collected via semistructured interviews and focus group discussions and analysed thematically.
resultsPatients experienced severe biopsychosocial symptoms and needed home-based palliation. While CHWs identified and referred patients, their main responsibilities were health promotion and disease prevention. Palliation was primarily a registered nurse's function. Community health workers were conflicted by their limited ability to deliver basic palliative care to patients.
conclusionWhile there is a definite need for community-based palliative care, the optimal structure of such a service and the roles of CHWs therein are uncertain. Future research should explore the home-based palliation needs of patients in similar contexts and the service design best suited to address these needs within the primary healthcare domain.Contribution: This study illustrates the influence of individual and system-related factors on CHWs' roles in palliative care. It can inform service design to optimise CHWs' contribution to palliation within primary health care.
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