A Community Participatory Approach to Identify Common Evaluation Indicators for Community Health Worker Practice

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Community-Based Interventions

Background:

• Community health workers (CHWs) are vital for improving health outcomes and reducing health inequities.
• A strong evidence base is crucial for supporting the CHW profession and its impact.
• Standardized evaluation indicators can enhance the understanding and effectiveness of CHW contributions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of a 6-year community-academic partnership focused on identifying common CHW process and outcome indicators.
• To establish a collaborative framework for defining and implementing standardized measures for CHW practice.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a multi-faceted approach including interviews, focus groups, and surveys across diverse geographic locations.
• Incorporated a national summit and consultations at professional conferences to gather broad input.
• Employed popular education as a core strategy to engage stakeholders and refine the project's direction.

Main Results:

• Successfully identified a set of 20 recommended constructs for common CHW indicators.
• Established a national network of stakeholders with international connections.
• Secured dedicated funding to support the ongoing development and implementation of CHW indicators.

Conclusions:

• Participatory development and adoption of common indicators (CI) for CHW practice facilitate data aggregation across multiple levels.
• Standardized CHW indicators can lead to more sustainable financing models for CHW programs.
• Implementing common indicators helps preserve the inherent flexibility and integrity of the CHW role by guiding practice through measurement.