Othman Maryam, Selnow Gary W
Department of Population Health Science, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, United States.
Independent Researcher, San Francisco, CA, United States.
Front Public Health. 2025 Apr 11;13:1504490. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1504490. eCollection 2025.
The aim of this narrative review is to examine a WHO-compliant program that prepares Community Health Workers (CHWs) in low-resource environments. The intended outcome of the training is to enhance healthcare access and address health equity disparities. We examined the program's curriculum, instructional methods, and a complementary continuing medical education (CME) program designed to sustain CHWs' knowledge and skills.
We review, in detail, the CHW training program-its curriculum, delivery, and implementation-launched prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing today. This program develops critical human resources to expand the reach of overburdened healthcare professionals in disproportionately affected regions.
Our review highlights the positive impact of this program on marginalized communities. We propose the adoption of its curriculum and pedagogical framework by local leaders seeking to train teams of well-prepared CHWs to improve healthcare and bridge the gap between communities and medical professionals. This no-cost program is accessible even to the most under-resourced settings.
The program examined in this paper offers small, disproportionately affected communities a valuable opportunity to implement a program that equips CHWs to provide essential clinical services and conduct community-wide health education initiatives. These CHWs serve as vital bridges between their communities and the professional medical system. Their demonstrated effectiveness in serving the health needs of their communities, even during the challenging COVID-19 pandemic, is noteworthy. When called for, they can support refugees fleeing war and climate pressures by offering basic clinical care and prevention training.
本叙述性综述的目的是研究一项符合世界卫生组织标准的项目，该项目旨在为资源匮乏环境中的社区卫生工作者（CHW）提供培训。培训的预期成果是增加医疗服务可及性并解决健康公平差距问题。我们研究了该项目的课程、教学方法以及一个旨在维持社区卫生工作者知识和技能的补充性继续医学教育（CME）项目。
我们详细回顾了在新冠疫情大流行之前启动并持续至今的社区卫生工作者培训项目——其课程、授课方式及实施情况。该项目培养关键人力资源，以扩大医疗负担过重地区医疗专业人员的服务范围。
我们的综述突出了该项目对边缘化社区的积极影响。我们建议，当地领导人若希望培训一支准备充分的社区卫生工作者团队以改善医疗服务并弥合社区与医疗专业人员之间的差距，可采用该项目的课程和教学框架。这个免费项目即使在资源最匮乏的环境中也能实施。
本文所研究的项目为小型且受影响尤为严重的社区提供了一个宝贵机会，使其能够实施一个项目，让社区卫生工作者有能力提供基本临床服务并开展全社区范围的健康教育活动。这些社区卫生工作者是其社区与专业医疗系统之间至关重要的桥梁。即使在具有挑战性的新冠疫情大流行期间，他们在满足社区健康需求方面所展现出的成效也值得关注。在有需求时，他们可以通过提供基本临床护理和预防培训来支持逃离战争和气候压力的难民。
