McPake B.,  Edoka I., Witter S., Kielmann K., Taegtmeyer M., Dieleman M., Vaughan K., Gama E., Kok M., Datiko D., Otiso L.,  Ahmed R., Squires N., Suraratdecha C. and Cometto G. (2015) Cost–effectiveness of community-based practitioner programmes in Ethiopia, Indonesia and Kenya, Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2015;93:631-639A

Community-based strategies have the potential to expand access to essential health services, especially in light of critical shortages in the health workforce. The term community health worker has been used to refer to volunteers and salaried, professional or lay health workers with a wide range of training, experience, scope of practice and integration in health systems. In the context of this study, we use the term community-based practitioner to reflect the diverse nature of this group of health workers. Community-based practitioners have been found to be effective in delivering health services in low- and middle-income countries. A common premise is that community-based practitioners are more responsive to the health needs of local populations than clinic-based services, are generally less expensive and can promote local participation in health. They can also improve coverage and health equity for populations that are difficult to reach with clinic-based approaches. The aim of the present study is to assess the cost–effectiveness of community-based practitioner programmes with different design features across three countries – Ethiopia, Indonesia and Kenya – in which these initiatives have been implemented to scale.

 

This project is funded by the European Union.
This project is funded by the European Union.