Results from operations research show improvements in chw program functionality

Community health workers (CHWs) are essential to improving access to health services. Yet CHW programs often have limited reach or are fraught with challenges. To provide a framework for assessing and improving CHW programs, a USAID-funded project developed the Community Health Worker Assessment and Improvement Matrix (CHW AIM). CHW AIM was designed to offer both a tool and a process for evaluating and strengthening CHW program functionality. This presentation will describe findings from operations research conducted to determine: 1) whether CHW AIM helps improve CHW program functionality; 2) if there are associations between CHW program functionality, CHW engagement and CHW performance; and, 3) the costs of utilizing the CHW AIM process.

The study was conducted in Zambia with 6 organizations and 156 CHWs over the course of one year. Methods used included interviews, program record reviews, engagement surveys, service delivery task completion assessments, and the CHW AIM program functionality analysis. The operations research found that using CHW AIM contributes to improvement, but that improvement may not be unilinear or consistent. There was also a positive correlation between CHW program functionality and CHW performance. However, the data on program functionality and CHW engagement were inconclusive. Costs of conducting a CHW AIM workshop ranged from $350 to $1100. The presentation will also share other results from multivariate and cluster analyses of factors associated with better CHW performance, program managers' views on CHW AIM, and CHW program investments related to number of clients served.