Community health workers in humanitarian settings: Scoping review.

BACKGROUND: There is a need for greater understanding of experiences implementing community-based primary health care in humanitarian settings and of the adjustments needed to ensure continuation of essential services and utilization of services by the population, and to contribute to effective emergency response. We reviewed the evidence base on community health workers (CHWs) in humanitarian settings, with the goal of improving delivery of essential services to the most vulnerable populations. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review of published and grey literature related to health and nutrition services provided by CHWs in humanitarian settings. Extracted data from retained documents were analyzed inductively for key themes. RESULTS: Of 3709 documents screened, 219 were included in the review. Key findings from the literature include: 1) CHWs were often able to continue providing services during acute and protracted crises, including prolonged periods of conflict and insecurity and during population displacement. 2) CHWs carried out critical emergency response activities during acute crises. 3) Flexible funding facilitated transitions between development and humanitarian programming. 4) Communities that did not have a locally-resident CHW experienced reduced access to services when travel was limited. 5) Community selection of CHWs and engagement of respected local leaders were crucial for community trust and acceptance and high utilization of services. 6) Selection of local supervisors and use of mobile phones facilitated continued supervision. 7) Actions taken to maintain supplies included creating parallel supply chains, providing buffer stocks to CHWs, and storing commodities in decentralized locations. 8) When travel was restricted, reporting and data collection were continued using mobile phones and use of local data collectors. 9) CHWs and supervisors faced security threats and psychological trauma as a result of their work. CONCLUSIONS: To achieve impact, policy makers and program implementers will have to address the bottlenecks to CHW service delivery common in stable low-income settings as well as the additional challenges unique to humanitarian settings. Future interventions should take into account the lessons learned from years of experience with implementation of community-based primary health care in humanitarian settings. There is also a need for rigorous assessments of community-based primary health care interventions in humanitarian settings.

Implementing integrated community case management during conflict in Yemen.

BACKGROUND: The conflict in Yemen has devastated the health system, with only 51% of health facilities classified as fully functional and 19.7 million people lacking access to health care. To address the urgent need for primary health care services in rural communities, Save the Children launched an iCCM program in Lahj and Taiz Governorates. A qualitative study was conducted to document the challenges to iCCM service delivery and to aid in developing strategies for overcoming service delivery bottlenecks in conflict-affected rural areas. METHODS: Qualitative data were collected in Aden City, Lahj Governorate, and Taiz Governorate. Twenty-three IDIs and six FGDs were conducted with iCCM stakeholders at all levels. RESULTS: Key findings included: 1) Policy, coordination, and funding were challenged by the fact that iCCM was not integrated into the national health system and was implemented as a short-term emergency program. 2) Villages that received services from a CHW who was based in a different community experienced reduced access to services, especially during times of heightened conflict and insecurity, when CHWs could not travel. 3) Supervision, supply chain, and monitoring were all challenges that were exacerbated by difficulties in travel due to the conflict. Potential solutions to these included the use of mobile technology for supervision and data collection and pre-positioning of buffer stocks in locations closer to CHWs. 4) Travel was seen as the primary threat to the safety of CHWs and supervisors. Measures taken to reduce the risk included limiting travel during periods of heightened insecurity, safety training for CHWs, and use of mobile technology for communication. CONCLUSIONS: CHWs were able to provide iCCM services in a challenging and insecure context. The challenges in delivery of services were related to both a weak health system and the conflict. Several adaptations to service delivery to overcome the bottlenecks have been identified and should be considered for future community health programs. The closure of the program in Taiz after only 14 months of implementation is a stark illustration of the failure of the current model of short-term humanitarian funding to address long-term needs in protracted emergencies.