Exploring digital health interventions to support community health workers in low-and-middle-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

IntroductionCOVID-19 has significantly affected community health workers’ (CHWs) performance as they are expected to perform pandemic-related tasks along with routine essential healthcare services. A plausible way to optimise CHWs’ functioning during this pandemic is to couple the efforts of CHWs with digital tools. So far, no systematic evidence is available on the use of digital health interventions to support CHWs in low-middle-income countries (LMICs) amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The article describes a protocol for a scoping review of primary research studies that aim to map evidence on the use of unique digital health interventions to support CHWs during COVID-19 in LMICs.Methods and analysisOur methodology has been adapted from scoping review guidelines provided by Arksey and O’Malley, Levac et al. and the Joanna Briggs Institute. Our search strategy has been developed for the following four main electronic databases: Excerpta Medica Database, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Google Scholar and reference tracking will be used for supplementary searches. Each article will be screened against eligibility criteria by two independent researchers at the title and abstract and full-text level. The review will include studies that targeted digital health interventions at CHWs’ level to provide support in delivering COVID-19-related and other essential healthcare services. A date limit of 31 December 2019 to the present date will be placed on the search and English language articles will be included.Ethics and disseminationFormal ethical approval is not required, as primary data will not be collected in this study. The results from our scoping review will provide valuable insight into the use of digital health interventions to optimise CHWs’ functioning and will reveal current knowledge gaps in research. The results will be disseminated through journal publications and conference presentations.

Community health worker perspectives on advocacy: design-based research to develop a digital advocacy training course

“…While CHWs play a crucial role in public health systems, particularly in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), CHW programs frequently lack sufficient planning, support, training, supervision, and resources (11). Lack of institutional support, including limited supervision, insufficient financial remuneration, and inadequate supplies, equipment, and training, as well as CHWs feeling undervalued and underappreciated in their efforts by healthcare colleagues, often leads CHWs to express feelings of powerlessness over their work and work environment and to perceive that they are not valued members of the healthcare system (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18). In some low-resourced areas, entire CHW programs have failed due to the high attrition associated with the lack of support that CHWs have received (11,19,20).…”

“…The final module focuses on providing the CHW participants with training on how to use technology tools to participate in virtual global discussions about community health. Research has found that CHWs need ongoing training to use new digital tools (15,(43)(44)(45)(46)(47).…”