Integration of community health workers into health systems in developing countries:Opportunities and challenges

Background:Developing countries have the potential to reach vulnerable and underserved populations marginalized by the country’s health care systems by way of community health work-ers(CHWs).It is imperative that health care systems focus on improving access to quality continu-ous primary care through the use of CHWs while paying attention to the factors that impact on CHWs and their effectiveness.Objective:To explore the possible opportunities and challenges of integrating CHWs into the health care systems of developing countries.Methods:Six databases were examined for quantitative,qualitative,and mixed-methods stud-ies that included the integration of CHWs,their motivation and supervision,and CHW policy making and implementation in developing countries.Thirty-three studies met the inclusion criteria and were double read to extract data relevant to the context of CHW programs.Thematic coding was conducted and evidence on the main categories of contextual factors influencing integration of CHWs into the health system was synthesized.Results:CHWs are an effective and appropriate element of a health care team and can assist in addressing health disparities and social determinants of health.Important facilitators of integration of CHWs into health care teams are support from other health workers and inclusion of CHWs in case management meetings.Sustainable integration of CHWs into the health care system requires the formulation and implementation of polices that support their work,as well as financial and nonfinancial incentives,motivation,collaborative and supportive supervision,and a manageable workload.Conclusions:For sustainable integration of CHWs into health care systems,high-performing health systems with sound governance,adequate financing,well-organized service delivery,and adequate supplies and equipment are essential.Similarly,competent communities could contrib-ute to better CHW performance through sound governance of community resources,promotion of inclusiveness and cohesion,engagement in participatory decision making,and mobilization of local resources for community welfare.

Adherence to Radiation Therapy among Cervical Cancer Patients at Cancer Diseases Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia

Background: Radiation therapy has the potential to improve cure rates and provide palliative relief for cervical cancer patients. Despite adherence to radiation therapy being a key treatment modality, patients rarely follow prescriptions. Poor adherence to radiation therapy is associated with low survival and high mortality rates. This study therefore sought to investigate the levels of adherence and factors influencing adherence to radiation therapy among cervical cancer patients being treated at Cancer Diseases Hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study design was used, 142 patients were selected from the outpatient department using a fishbowl sampling method. A structured interview schedule was used to collect data. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS, the binary logistic regression analysis was used to predict levels of adherence to treatment and to identify factors associated with adherence to RT among cervical cancer patients. Results: The findings showed that 93% of the participants adhered to radiation therapy while 7% did not adhere to treatment. Majority of the patients 77.1% had experienced side effects of radiation therapy. About 28% of patients had severe psychological distress. By using binary logistic regression, there was a statistically significant association between adherence and perceived quality of health care services (p = 0.001). The analysis showed that patients who perceived poor quality of health care services were 0.005 (99.5%) times less likely to adhere to radiation therapy. The other independent variables were not statistically significant despite being associated with adherence among cervical cancer patients. Conclusions and Recommendations: The findings showed that patients who perceived good quality of health care services had higher chances of adherence compared to those who perceived poor quality of health care services. There is therefore a need for quality service provision which could include good maintenance of radiation machines. Furthermore, there is a need to develop guidelines for follow-up in case of any disease outbreak to avoid interference with patients’ treatment schedules and appointments for reviews.