Training and evaluation of community health workers (CHWs): towards improving maternal and newborn survival in an urban setting in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
SOURCE: The Open Public Health Journal
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2019
TITLE AUTHOR(S): T.Ndaba, M.Taylor, M.Mabaso
KEYWORDS: COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, INFANT MORTALITY, KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE, MATERNAL HEALTH, PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
DEPARTMENT: Public Health, Societies and Belonging (HSC)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 11071
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/15027
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/15027
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2019
TITLE AUTHOR(S): T.Ndaba, M.Taylor, M.Mabaso
KEYWORDS: COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, INFANT MORTALITY, KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE, MATERNAL HEALTH, PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
DEPARTMENT: Public Health, Societies and Belonging (HSC)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 11071
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/15027
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/15027
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
In South Africa, Community Health Workers (CHWs) are a key component of community outreach teams as part of Primary Health Care (PHC) re-engineering. Although the value of CHW programs has been increasingly recognized, published evaluations of CHWs training programs are rare. This study documents the training and evaluation of CHWs on maternal and neonatal care towards improved maternal-newborn survival in an impoverished urban setting in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Using a descriptive study design, CHWs were trained to do home visits, assess and support the mother to settle in well at home post-discharge, check on babies warmth, cord care, breastfeeding, basic hygiene, size of the baby if underweight and advise on Kangaroo mother care. They were also trained to check if the mothers were given the Road to Health card and to inquire about the immunization and subsequent follow-up visits to the PHC, and encourage mothers to adhere to their follow up dates at PHC clinics. Pre-and post-test scores, shadow visits, and spot checks were used to evaluate their performance. Generally, CHWs (n=47) from all three PHC clinics performed well. Overall, the highest post-test score among the PHC CHWs was 72% and the lowest was 50%. On average during shadow visits 67% CHWs were rated as good, 2% were rated as poor, and most CHWs received the highest score at 92% during spot checks. CHWs demonstrated social commitment and purpose in the short term observed. The evaluation of the training of CHWs revealed that most demonstrated the necessary skills for referrals to prevent complications, caring for newborns and their mothers at home immediately after discharge from health care centers. CHW upskilling training on maternal-newborn services should be prioritized in the most affected areas.-
Related Research Outputs:
- Strategic planning for saving the lives of mothers, newborns and children and preventing stillbirths in KwaZulu-Natal province South Africa: modelling using the Lives Saved Tool (LiST)
- Baseline assessment: European Union partnerships for the delivery of primary health care programme in South Africa
- HIV/AIDS/STI/TB knowledge, attitudes and practices among lay health workers and nurses in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Predictors of nurses' and midwives' intentions to provide maternal and child healthcare services to adolescents in South Africa
- Early detection, care and control of hypertension and diabetes in South Africa: a community-based approach
- Establishing a community advisory group (CAG) for partnership defined quality (PDQ) towards improving primary health care in a peri-urban setting in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Primary health care in the era of HIV/AIDS. Some implications for health systems reform
- Evaluation of the contracted community health worker programme: third report
- The impact of HIV/AIDS on land issues in Kwazulu-Natal province South Africa: case studies from Muden, Dondotha, Kwadumisa and Kwanyuswa
- Integrating services, marginalizing patients: psychiatric patients and primary health care in South Africa
- Kwazulu-Natal programme for survivors of violence
- Putting HIV/AIDS counselling in South Africa in its place
- Bloodwise? Knowledge and attitudes pertaining to HIV and blood donation in Durban
- Contemporary tourism at Dwesa-Cwebe
- Infrastructure in educare centres in KwaZulu-Natal
- Empowerment through service delivery
- The airport, the road and the school: infrastructure delivery in KwaZulu-Natal
- Discretionary fund projects of the reconstruction and development programme
- Audit of pension pay points in South Africa
- Land reform in South Africa 1994-2000: some reflections from KwaZulu-Natal