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Pandya S, Hamal M, Abuya T, Kintu R, Mwanga D, Warren CE, Agarwal S. Understanding Factors That Support Community Health Worker Motivation, Job Satisfaction, and Performance in Three Ugandan Districts: Opportunities for Strengthening Uganda's Community Health Worker Program. Int J Health Policy Manag 2022; 11:2886-2894. [PMID: 35461208 PMCID: PMC10105203 DOI: 10.34172/ijhpm.2022.6219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Uganda's community health worker (CHW) program experiences several challenges related to the appropriate motivation, job satisfaction, and performance of the CHW workforce. This study aims to identify barriers in the effective implementation of financial and non-financial incentives to support CHWs and to strengthen Uganda's CHW program. METHODS The study was implemented in Uganda's Lira, Wakiso, and Mayuge districts in May 2019. Ten focus group discussions (FGDs) were held with 91 CHWs, 17 in-depth interviews (IDIs) were held with CHW supervisors, and 7 IDIs were held with policy-level stakeholders. Participants included stakeholders from both the Ugandan government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Utilizing a thematic approach, themes around motivation, job satisfaction, incentive preferences, and CHW relationships with the community, healthcare facilities, and government were analyzed. RESULTS CHWs identified a range of factors that contributed to their motivation or demotivation. Non-monetary factors included recognition from the health system and community, access to transportation, methods for identification as a healthcare worker, provision of working tools, and training opportunities. Monetary factors included access to monthly stipends, transportation-related refunds, and timely payment systems to reduce refund delays to CHWs. Additionally, CHWs indicated wanting to be considered for recruitment into the now-halted rollout of a salaried CHW cadre, given the provision of payment. CONCLUSION It is imperative to consider how to best support the current CHW program prior to the introduction of new cadres, as it can serve to exacerbate tensions between cadres and further undermine provision of community health. Providing a harmonized, balanced, and uniform combination of both monetary incentives with non-monetary incentives is vital for effective CHW programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivani Pandya
- Department of International Health, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mukesh Hamal
- Department of International Health, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Smisha Agarwal
- Department of International Health, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Johnson LJ, Schopp LH, Waggie F, Frantz JM. Challenges experienced by community health workers and their motivation to attend a self-management programme. Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med 2022; 14:e1-e9. [PMID: 35144456 PMCID: PMC8831930 DOI: 10.4102/phcfm.v14i1.2911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Community health workers (CHWs) are change agents expected to assist in decreasing the global burden of disease in the communities they serve. However, they themselves have health risk behaviours, which predispose them to non-communicable diseases and thus need to be empowered to make better health choices. There is a gap in literature detailing the challenges faced by CHWs in addressing their own health risk behaviours.Aim: This study aimed to explore the challenges experienced by CHWs in carrying out their daily duties and the motivating factors to join a self-management programme.Setting: The study was conducted in a low socio-economic urban area of the Western Cape, South Africa.Methods: This study used a qualitative exploratory design using in-depth interviews to obtain rich data about the personal and professional challenges that CHWs experience on a daily basis.Results: Five themes emerged with regard to professional challenges (social conditions, mental health of patients, work environment, patient adherence and communication). This cadre identified ineffective self-management as a personal challenge and two themes emerged as motivation for participating in a self-management programme: empowerment and widening perspective.Conclusion: The challenges raised by the CHWs have a direct impact on their role in communities. This study therefore highlights an urgent need for policymakers and leaders who plan training programmes to take intentional strategic action to address their health challenges and to consider utilising a self-management intervention model to improve their overall health status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Levona J Johnson
- Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville.
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Ng G, Raskin E, Wirtz VJ, Banks KP, Laing RO, Kiragu ZW, Rockers PC, Onyango MA. Coping with access barriers to non-communicable disease medicines: qualitative patient interviews in eight counties in Kenya. BMC Health Serv Res 2021; 21:417. [PMID: 33941177 PMCID: PMC8094552 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-06433-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There is rich literature on barriers to medicines access for the treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in high-income countries. Less is known about low- and middle-income countries, in particular the differences in coping with medicines access barrier by household wealth and disease. The aim of this study was to compare the coping mechanisms of patients with the lack of availability and affordability of cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes and asthma medicines in Kenya. Methods This qualitative study was part of a larger mixed methods evaluation study conducted in eight counties of Kenya from 2016 to 2019. Forty-nine patient interviews at study end line explored their NCD journey, perceptions of availability, stockouts and affordability of NCD medicines, their enrollment in health insurance, and their relationship with the private chemists. Transcribed interviews were coded using Nvivo software. A two-step thematic approach was used, first conducting a priority coding which was followed by coding emerging and divergent themes. Results Overall, we found that patients across all disease types and wealth level faced frequent medicine stock-outs at health facilities. In the absence of NCD medicines at health facilities, patients coped by purchasing medicines from local chemists, switching health facilities, requesting a different prescription, admitting oneself to an inpatient facility, establishing connections with local staff to receive notifications of medicine stock, stocking up on medicines, utilizing social capital to retrieve medicines from larger cities and obtaining funds from a network of friends and family. Categorizing by disease revealed patterns in coping choices that were based on the course of the disease, severity of the symptoms and the direct and indirect costs incurred as a result of stockouts of NCD medicines. Categorizing by wealth highlight differences in households’ capacity to cope with the unavailability and unaffordability of NCD medicines. Conclusions The type of coping strategies to access barriers differ by NCD and wealth group. Although Kenya has made important strides to address NCD medicines access challenges, prioritizing enrollment of low wealth households in county health insurance programs and ensuring continuous availability of essential NCD medicines at public health facilities close to the patient homes could improve access.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloria Ng
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Crosstown, 3rd floor, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, MA, 02118, Boston, USA
| | - Elizabeth Raskin
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Crosstown, 3rd floor, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, MA, 02118, Boston, USA
| | - Veronika J Wirtz
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Crosstown, 3rd floor, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, MA, 02118, Boston, USA.
| | - Kathleen P Banks
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Crosstown, 3rd floor, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, MA, 02118, Boston, USA
| | - Richard O Laing
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Crosstown, 3rd floor, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, MA, 02118, Boston, USA.,School of Public Health, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Zana W Kiragu
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Crosstown, 3rd floor, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, MA, 02118, Boston, USA
| | - Peter C Rockers
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Crosstown, 3rd floor, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, MA, 02118, Boston, USA
| | - Monica A Onyango
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Crosstown, 3rd floor, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, MA, 02118, Boston, USA
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Dougherty S, Beaton A, Nascimento BR, Zühlke LJ, Khorsandi M, Wilson N. Prevention and control of rheumatic heart disease: Overcoming core challenges in resource-poor environments. Ann Pediatr Cardiol 2018; 11:68-78. [PMID: 29440834 PMCID: PMC5803981 DOI: 10.4103/apc.apc_135_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) has long receded as a significant threat to public health in high-income countries. In low-resource settings, however, the specter of RHD remains unabated, as exemplified by recent data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study. There are many complex reasons for this ongoing global disparity, including inadequate data on disease burden, challenges in effective advocacy, ongoing poverty and inequality, and weak health systems, most of which predominantly affect developing nations. In this review, we discuss how each of these acts as a core challenge in RHD prevention and control. We then examine key lessons learnt from successful control programs in the past and highlight resources that have been developed to help create strong national RHD control programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Dougherty
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ministry of Health, Belau National Hospital, Koror, Republic of Palau
| | - Andrea Beaton
- Children's National Medical Center, Cardiology, Washington DC, USA
| | - Bruno R Nascimento
- Telehealth Center, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, South Africa
| | - Liesl J Zühlke
- Divisions of Paediatric Cardiology and Cardiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Maziar Khorsandi
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel Wilson
- Green Lane Paediatic and Congenital Cardiology Department, Starship Children's Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Samad Z, Merchant AT, Narula JS, Virani SS. "All hands on deck": An imperative for tackling hypertension in South Asia. Indian Heart J 2017; 69:430-431. [PMID: 28822505 PMCID: PMC5560909 DOI: 10.1016/j.ihj.2017.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Zainab Samad
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Anwar T Merchant
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA; WJB Dorn VA Medical Center, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Jagat S Narula
- Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Cardiovascular Health, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, USA
| | - Salim S Virani
- Section of Cardiology, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA; Section of Cardiovascular Research, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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