The roles of community health workers in management of non-communicable diseases in an urban township

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dc.contributor.authorTsolekile, Lungiswa
dc.contributor.authorPuoane, Thandi
dc.contributor.authorSchneider, Helen
dc.contributor.authorLevitt, Naomi S.
dc.contributor.authorSteyn, Krisela
dc.date.accessioned2015-06-17T09:29:13Z
dc.date.available2015-06-17T09:29:13Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.description.abstractBACKGROUND: Community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly being recognised as a crucial part of the health workforce in South Africa and other parts of the world. CHWs have taken on a variety of roles, including community empowerment, provision of services and linking communities with health facilities. Their roles are better understood in the areas of maternal and child health and infectious diseases (HIV infection, malaria and tuberculosis). AIM: This study seeks to explore the current roles of CHWs working with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Setting: The study was conducted in an urban township in Cape Town, South Africa. Method: A qualitative naturalistic research design utilising observations and in-depth interviews with CHWs and their supervisors working in Khayelitsha was used. Results: CHWs have multiple roles in the care of NCDs. They act as health educators, advisors, rehabilitation workers and support group facilitators. They further screen for complications of illness and assist community members to navigate the health system. These roles are shaped both by expectations of the health system and in response to community needs. CONCLUSION: This study indicates the complexities of the roles of CHWs working with NCDs. Understanding the actual roles of CHWs provides insights into not only the competencies required to enable them to fulfil their daily functions, but also the type of training required to fill the present gaps. Introduction Community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly being recognised as a crucial part of the health workforce.1 In South Africa and worldwide, CHWs have provided health care to communities for many decades and have assumed a variety of roles, including communityen_US
dc.description.accreditationWeb of Scienceen_US
dc.identifier.citationTsolekile L.P. et.al. (2014). The roles of community health workers in management of non-communicable diseases in an urban township. African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 6 (1):1-8en_US
dc.identifier.issn2071-2928
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10566/1513
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.privacy.showsubmitterfalse
dc.publisherAOSIS OpenJournalsen_US
dc.rightsThis is a free access has usage as stipulated in the creative commons attribution usage license. The license allows redistribution and reuse of all article on the condition that African Journal of primary health care& family medicine is appropriately credited
dc.source.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.4102/phcfm.v6i1.693
dc.status.ispeerreviewedtrue
dc.subjectCommunity health workersen_US
dc.subjectNon-communicable diseaseen_US
dc.subjectUrban Townshipen_US
dc.titleThe roles of community health workers in management of non-communicable diseases in an urban townshipen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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Prof. Helen Schneider