Community health workers and accountability: reflections from an international “think-in”
Abstract Community health workers (CHWs) are frequently put forward as a remedy for lack of health system capacity, including challenges associated with health service coverage and with low community engagement in the health system, and expected to enhance or embody health system accountability. Dur...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2018-05-01
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| Series: | International Journal for Equity in Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12939-018-0781-5 |
| _version_ | 1818541340962586624 |
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| author | Marta Schaaf Jonathan Fox Stephanie M. Topp Caitlin Warthin Lynn P. Freedman Rachel Sullivan Robinson Sundararaman Thiagarajan Kerry Scott Thoko Maboe Margareth Zanchetta Ana Lorena Ruano Maryse Kok Svea Closser |
| author_facet | Marta Schaaf Jonathan Fox Stephanie M. Topp Caitlin Warthin Lynn P. Freedman Rachel Sullivan Robinson Sundararaman Thiagarajan Kerry Scott Thoko Maboe Margareth Zanchetta Ana Lorena Ruano Maryse Kok Svea Closser |
| author_sort | Marta Schaaf |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Community health workers (CHWs) are frequently put forward as a remedy for lack of health system capacity, including challenges associated with health service coverage and with low community engagement in the health system, and expected to enhance or embody health system accountability. During a ‘think in’, held in June of 2017, a diverse group of practitioners and researchers discussed the topic of CHWs and their possible roles in a larger “accountability ecosystem.” This jointly authored commentary resulted from our deliberations. While CHWs are often conceptualized as cogs in a mechanistic health delivery system, at the end of the day, CHWs are people embedded in families, communities, and the health system. CHWs’ social position and professional role influence how they are treated and trusted by the health sector and by community members, as well as when, where, and how they can exercise agency and promote accountability. To that end, we put forward several propositions for further conceptual development and research related to the question of CHWs and accountability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T22:08:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e31aea29377844eaa33d709646b5766a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1475-9276 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T22:08:00Z |
| publishDate | 2018-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal for Equity in Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-e31aea29377844eaa33d709646b5766a2022-12-22T00:48:54ZengBMCInternational Journal for Equity in Health1475-92762018-05-011711510.1186/s12939-018-0781-5Community health workers and accountability: reflections from an international “think-in”Marta Schaaf0Jonathan Fox1Stephanie M. Topp2Caitlin Warthin3Lynn P. Freedman4Rachel Sullivan Robinson5Sundararaman Thiagarajan6Kerry Scott7Thoko Maboe8Margareth Zanchetta9Ana Lorena Ruano10Maryse Kok11Svea Closser12Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia UniversityAccountability Research Center, School of International Service, American UniversityCollege of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook UniversityAverting Maternal Death and Disability Program, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia UniversityAverting Maternal Death and Disability Program, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia UniversitySchool of International Service, American UniversitySchool of Health Systems Studies, Tata Institute of Social SciencesIndependent Consultant, Bangalore, India and Research Associate, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthQondisa Institute Training for Community Health Care WorkersDaphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Faculty of Community Services, Ryerson UniversityCenter for the Study of Equity and Governance in Health Systems, Guatemala and Center for International Health University of BergenKIT | Royal Tropical InstituteMiddlebury College, 301 Munroe HallAbstract Community health workers (CHWs) are frequently put forward as a remedy for lack of health system capacity, including challenges associated with health service coverage and with low community engagement in the health system, and expected to enhance or embody health system accountability. During a ‘think in’, held in June of 2017, a diverse group of practitioners and researchers discussed the topic of CHWs and their possible roles in a larger “accountability ecosystem.” This jointly authored commentary resulted from our deliberations. While CHWs are often conceptualized as cogs in a mechanistic health delivery system, at the end of the day, CHWs are people embedded in families, communities, and the health system. CHWs’ social position and professional role influence how they are treated and trusted by the health sector and by community members, as well as when, where, and how they can exercise agency and promote accountability. To that end, we put forward several propositions for further conceptual development and research related to the question of CHWs and accountability.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12939-018-0781-5Global healthCommunity health workersAccountabilityEquityPower relationsUniversal health coverage |
| spellingShingle | Marta Schaaf Jonathan Fox Stephanie M. Topp Caitlin Warthin Lynn P. Freedman Rachel Sullivan Robinson Sundararaman Thiagarajan Kerry Scott Thoko Maboe Margareth Zanchetta Ana Lorena Ruano Maryse Kok Svea Closser Community health workers and accountability: reflections from an international “think-in” International Journal for Equity in Health Global health Community health workers Accountability Equity Power relations Universal health coverage |
| title | Community health workers and accountability: reflections from an international “think-in” |
| title_full | Community health workers and accountability: reflections from an international “think-in” |
| title_fullStr | Community health workers and accountability: reflections from an international “think-in” |
| title_full_unstemmed | Community health workers and accountability: reflections from an international “think-in” |
| title_short | Community health workers and accountability: reflections from an international “think-in” |
| title_sort | community health workers and accountability reflections from an international think in |
| topic | Global health Community health workers Accountability Equity Power relations Universal health coverage |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12939-018-0781-5 |
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