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Focus on the Future: A Community Health Worker Research Agenda by and for the Field
- Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 2, Issue 3, Fall 2008
- pp. 225-235
- 10.1353/cpr.0.0025
- Article
- Additional Information
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Problem: Research articles describing community health worker (CHW) programs often focus on program activities and short-term outcomes, failing to assess CHWs’ long-term contributions to improving individual and community health. Reflecting this, CHWs are supported by short-term public and private funding.
Purpose: To inform policies that will potentially increase support and funding for CHW work, specific research is needed providing evidence of CHW effectiveness. This article describes the development of a CHW research agenda by and for the field.
Key Points: CHWs, researchers, and stakeholders (policy makers, funders, others) collaborated during and after a conference to develop and refine a 164 question agenda targeting six areas (Table 1).
Conclusions: Key research areas identified by the agenda development participants include:
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CHW impact on health status;
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CHW cost effectiveness;
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Building CHW capacity and sustaining CHWs on the job;
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Funding options;
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CHWs as capacity builders; and
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CHWs promoting real access to care.