Supporting the role and enabling the potential of community health workers in Bangladesh’s rural maternal and newborn health programs: A qualitative study
This article was published in Journal of Global Health Reports [ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CCBY-4.0).] and the definite version is available at: https://doi.org/10.29392/001c.12682 The Journal's webs...
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Journal of Global Health Reports
2022
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| ऑनलाइन पहुंच: | http://hdl.handle.net/10361/16592 https://doi.org/10.29392/001c.12682 |
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10361-165922022-05-11T21:01:41Z Supporting the role and enabling the potential of community health workers in Bangladesh’s rural maternal and newborn health programs: A qualitative study Adams, Alayne M Vuckovic, Myriam Graul, Emily Rashid, Sabina F Sarker, Malabika Brac James P. Grant School of Public Health Bangladesh Community health workers Newborn health Maternal health This article was published in Journal of Global Health Reports [ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CCBY-4.0).] and the definite version is available at: https://doi.org/10.29392/001c.12682 The Journal's website is at: https://www.joghr.org/article/12682-supporting-the-role-and-enabling-the-potential-of-community-health-workers-in-bangladesh-s-rural-maternal-and-newborn-health-programs-a-qualitative-study Background In the global journey towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC), strong primary healthcare systems are essential. This includes the frontline health workers, the bedrock of which are community health workers (CHWs). In Bangladesh, this largely female workforce plays a critical role in health promotion and linking communities with the formal health care system. With the launch of the new national strategy on CHWs, and its ambitions around the implementation of harmonized systems of financing, certification, job harmonization, performance assessment and supportive supervision, it is important to reference the perceptions, experiences, needs and aspirations of CHWs themselves. Methods This qualitative exploratory study examines three UNICEF supported maternal and newborn health (MNH) programs in rural Bangladesh, with two districts sampled for each program. In-depth interviews were conducted with CHWs, community members, other health workers, and program managers. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach, with a particular focus on the voice and experience of CHWs and the programmatic features that support them in serving their communities. Results Across all three programs, CHWs function as critical local agents for health promotion and referral whose recruitment from and support by the community, enhances their effectiveness. Regular communication and collaboration between CHWs and public-sector frontline workers were perceived as important in enabling their role in increasing the coverage of essential services. Support for structured systems of training, supervision and monitoring which encompass the support of referral decisions, was also apparent. Of particular note were the needs and aspirations of CHWs regarding work-life balance, job satisfaction and desire for professional development. These concerns emphasize the importance of flexibility in how the CHW workforce is configured such that roles, responsibilities and remuneration are keyed to experience and qualifications, and the dynamic needs and aspirations of CHWs over the life course. Conclusions As Bangladesh pursues its UHC agenda, CHWs are pivotal in linking underserved communities to the formal health system. Flexibility in the scope of CHW roles and responsibilities, as well as supportive supervision, regular training and fair remuneration, will optimize their contributions towards UHC and better MNH outcomes. Published 2022-05-11T05:59:38Z 2022-05-11T05:59:38Z 2020 2020-05-15 Journal Article Adams, A. M., Vuckovic, M., Graul, E., Rashid, S. F., & Sarker, M. (2020). Supporting the role and enabling the potential of community health workers in Bangladesh’s rural maternal and newborn health programs: a qualitative study. Journal of Global Health Reports. doi:https://doi.org/10.29392/001c.12682 http://hdl.handle.net/10361/16592 https://doi.org/10.29392/001c.12682 en_US https://www.joghr.org/article/12682-supporting-the-role-and-enabling-the-potential-of-community-health-workers-in-bangladesh-s-rural-maternal-and-newborn-health-programs-a-qualitative-study application/pdf Journal of Global Health Reports |
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Brac University |
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Institutional Repository |
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en_US |
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Bangladesh Community health workers Newborn health Maternal health |
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Bangladesh Community health workers Newborn health Maternal health Adams, Alayne M Vuckovic, Myriam Graul, Emily Rashid, Sabina F Sarker, Malabika Supporting the role and enabling the potential of community health workers in Bangladesh’s rural maternal and newborn health programs: A qualitative study |
| description |
This article was published in Journal of Global Health Reports [ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CCBY-4.0).] and the definite version is available at: https://doi.org/10.29392/001c.12682 The Journal's website is at: https://www.joghr.org/article/12682-supporting-the-role-and-enabling-the-potential-of-community-health-workers-in-bangladesh-s-rural-maternal-and-newborn-health-programs-a-qualitative-study |
| author2 |
Brac James P. Grant School of Public Health |
| author_facet |
Brac James P. Grant School of Public Health Adams, Alayne M Vuckovic, Myriam Graul, Emily Rashid, Sabina F Sarker, Malabika |
| format |
Journal Article |
| author |
Adams, Alayne M Vuckovic, Myriam Graul, Emily Rashid, Sabina F Sarker, Malabika |
| author_sort |
Adams, Alayne M |
| title |
Supporting the role and enabling the potential of community health workers in Bangladesh’s rural maternal and newborn health programs: A qualitative study |
| title_short |
Supporting the role and enabling the potential of community health workers in Bangladesh’s rural maternal and newborn health programs: A qualitative study |
| title_full |
Supporting the role and enabling the potential of community health workers in Bangladesh’s rural maternal and newborn health programs: A qualitative study |
| title_fullStr |
Supporting the role and enabling the potential of community health workers in Bangladesh’s rural maternal and newborn health programs: A qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Supporting the role and enabling the potential of community health workers in Bangladesh’s rural maternal and newborn health programs: A qualitative study |
| title_sort |
supporting the role and enabling the potential of community health workers in bangladesh’s rural maternal and newborn health programs: a qualitative study |
| publisher |
Journal of Global Health Reports |
| publishDate |
2022 |
| url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10361/16592 https://doi.org/10.29392/001c.12682 |
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