Importance of Interactive Small Group Discussions to Educate Community Health Workers

Abstract

Community health workers (CHWs) are an effective solution to address the double burden of chronic and infectious diseases in developing countries. Due to limited resources, CHWs seldom receive adequate training. A standardized training regimen with three educational methods was tested with CHWs in Kenya to identify the optimal method. CHWs were divided into three breakout groups each testing a different pedagogy. It was concluded that each method was equally effective. Interactive small group learning methods do not require additional resources and can be easily integrated into CHW training regimens to produce better-prepared health workers.