Community Health Worker programmes' integration into national health systems: Scoping review

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Health Systems Strengthening
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Community health worker (CHW) programs offer a sustainable approach to improving child health in resource-constrained settings.
• Adequate integration of CHW programs into national health systems is crucial but understudied in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize evidence on the integration of CHW programs into national health systems in SSA.
• To identify patterns and variations in CHW program integration across different regions of SSA.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review framework was used to select six CHW programs from West, East, and Southern Africa.
• Literature searches were conducted for publications related to the selected CHW programs and their integration.
• Data were synthesized narratively to present findings on program integration components.

Main Results:

• 42 publications met the inclusion criteria, focusing on all six CHW program integration components.
• While linkages between CHW programs and health systems were evident across reviewed countries, integration varied.
• Specific components like recruitment, education, service delivery, supervision, information management, and supplies showed diverse integration approaches regionally.

Conclusions:

• The integration of CHW programs into national health systems in SSA is complex, with varied approaches across different components and countries.
• This study provides synthesized evidence on the integration of CHW programs, contributing to understanding health systems strengthening in the region.