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. 2013 Apr;13(2):163-71.
doi: 10.1007/s11892-012-0359-3.

The role of community health workers in diabetes: update on current literature

Megha Shah  1 , Elizabeth Kaselitz, Michele Heisler
Affiliations

The role of community health workers in diabetes: update on current literature

Megha Shah et al. Curr Diab Rep. 2013 Apr.

Erratum in

  • Curr Diab Rep. 2013 Aug;13(4):600

Abstract

Community health worker (CHW) interventions have been found to be a promising strategy for improving diabetes outcomes, especially among low-income and racial and ethnic minority populations. This review serves as an update of the literature published since 2011 on CHWs' role in diabetes care. In our review of the most current literature, we noted several key areas of advancement. These areas include community-based participatory research approaches to intervention development and evaluation, analyses of the cost effectiveness of CHW interventions, evaluation of sustainability through integrated team-based approaches, thorough descriptions of characteristics and training of CHWs, and delineation of the scope of practice and most effective roles for CHWs.

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References

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    1. Norris SL, Chowdhury FM, Van Le K, et al. Effectiveness of community health workers in the care of persons with diabetes. Diabet Med. 2006;23(5):544–556. This systematic review of CHWs in diabetes care identified five main roles of CHWs. Data demonstrated improved knowledge about diabetes, self-monitoring, self-care, and lifestyle changes, but several gaps in the evidence were noted.

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