Evaluating community engagement strategies in COVID-19: insights from a National Quasi-Experimental Intervention

Community engagement is essential during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the effectiveness of community engagement during this pandemic, especially in low- and middle-income countries, has not been seriously investigated.

The effectiveness of a comprehensive intervention program in managing COVID-19 in Iran emphasizes community involvement and multifaceted strategies.

All individuals who were admitted to hospitals and outpatient clinics across the country with suspected COVID-19 symptoms.

A quasi-experimental study was conducted on the implementation of interventions (supportive, caring, and supervisory) by neighborhood-based teams during the COVID-19 epidemic in Iran. The evaluation took place four months later. Data from various inpatient and mortality sources was used, along with statistical-epidemiological analyses such as logistic regression analysis, and odds ratio.

Deaths per day declined from 479 to 75 within the study period. R₀ decreased from 1.26 to 0.86. PCR tests reached from 661 to 1601 /100,000. The incidence rate of the disease reached 0.2 per hundred thousand people to 0.05 per hundred thousand people. The number of hospitalizations from COVID-19 decreased from 3044 to 417 before and after the community-based interventions.

Epidemic management when combined with community participation can be very effective in crisis situations. Strengthening the disease care system and more supervision in the implementation of the strategy and having an effective relationship with the doctors of the private sector to comply with the national protocol, an effective step will be taken towards the control of this disease and finally its elimination.