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. 2018 Mar 26;41(1):e1-e8.
doi: 10.4102/curationis.v41i1.1815.

The roles, training and knowledge of community health workers about diabetes and hypertension in Khayelitsha, Cape Town

Lungiswa P Tsolekile  1 , Helen Schneider, Thandi Puoane
Affiliations

The roles, training and knowledge of community health workers about diabetes and hypertension in Khayelitsha, Cape Town

Lungiswa P Tsolekile et al. Curationis. .

Abstract

Background: The current roles and capacity of community health workers (CHWs) in the management and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) remain poorly understood.

Objectives: To assess CHWs' current roles, training and knowledge about diabetes and hypertension in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 150 CHWs from two non-governmental organisations contracted to provide NCD care as part of a comprehensive package of services was conducted. An interviewer-administered closed-ended questionnaire was used to determine the roles, training, in-service support, knowledge and presence of NCDs. Descriptive analyses of these domains and multivariate analyses of the factors associated with CHWs' knowledge of hypertension and diabetes were conducted.

Results: The vast majority (96%) of CHWs were female, with a mean age of 35 years; 88% had some secondary schooling and 53% had been employed as CHWs for 4 years or more. Nearly half (47%) reported having an NCD. CHWs' roles in NCDs included the delivery of medication, providing advice and physical assessment. Only 52% of CHWs reported some formal NCD-related training, while less than half of the trained CHWs (n = 35; 44%) had received follow-up refresher training. CHWs' knowledge of diabetes and hypertension was poor. In the multivariate analyses, higher knowledge scores were associated with having an NCD and frequency of supervisory contact (≥1 per month).

Conclusions: The roles performed by CHWs are broad, varied and essential for diabetes and hypertension management. However, basic knowledge about diabetes and hypertension remains poor while training is unstandardised and haphazard. These need to be improved if community-based NCD management is to be successful. The potential of peer education as a complementary mechanism to formal training needs as well as support and supervision in the workplace requires further exploration.

Keywords: community health workers; diabetes; hypertension; non-communicable disease management; prevention; training.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Non-communicable disease-related roles or tasks performed in the community (n = 150).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Duration of non-communicable disease-related training among community health worker (n = 79).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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