Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2022;16(1):93-103. doi: 10.1353/cpr.2022.0009.
Community-clinical linkages (CCLs) connect public health organizations and health care providers to better support patients. Community health workers (CHWs), representatives from priority populations with special connections to their community, can lead CCLs.
Our objective was to learn about how to conduct a CHW-led CCL from the perspectives of those implementing the intervention.
We conducted focus groups with CHWs and their supervisors and regularly consulted community partners while coding and analyzing data.
We learned that CHWs thrive when supported by peers, supervisors, institutions, and researchers. Supervisors- who are new to the CHW role-should consider seeking training in CHW professional development and performance evaluation. Focus group participants agreed that by balancing the strengths and weaknesses of their organization, CHW-led CCLs benefit patients because the collaboration helps them to better manage their health.
Future CHW-led CCL practitioners should consider how to best institutionally support CHWs to maximize benefits for patients.
社区临床联系(CCLs)将公共卫生组织和医疗保健提供者联系起来,以更好地支持患者。社区卫生工作者(CHWs)是与社区有特殊联系的优先人群的代表,可以领导 CCLs。
我们的目的是从实施干预措施的角度了解如何进行 CHW 主导的 CCL。
我们对 CHWs 及其主管进行了焦点小组讨论,并在编码和分析数据时定期咨询社区合作伙伴。
我们了解到,当 CHWs 得到同行、主管、机构和研究人员的支持时,他们会茁壮成长。主管——他们是 CHW 角色的新手——应该考虑寻求 CHW 专业发展和绩效评估方面的培训。焦点小组参与者一致认为,通过平衡组织的优势和劣势,CHW 主导的 CCL 使患者受益,因为合作有助于他们更好地管理自己的健康。
未来的 CHW 主导的 CCL 从业者应该考虑如何最好地在机构层面上支持 CHWs,以最大限度地为患者带来好处。