Training Community Health Workers to Respond to Public Health Demands

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Community health workers (CHWs) connect individuals to community resources and build individual competence in an effort to improve overall community/public health. There is a need for more research on how community health nurse (CHN)-led training programs are needed to help train and support CHWs. Purpose The purpose was to describe the development and evaluation of a series of CHN-led CHW trainings on CHW role, boundaries, and motivational interviewing; diabetes; mental health and long COVID; sexually transmitted infections; and lead poisoning prevention and treatment. Design This study utilized a one-group pretest-posttest design in which quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Methods The sample consisted of CHWs representing White/Caucasian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, and Asian American populations who for each topic, completed a pretest one week prior to the training, the training, and a posttest one week after the training. The quantitative and qualitative data collected during winter and spring/summer 2023 underwent statistical and thematic analysis, respectively. Findings The results suggest that the CHW trainings were effective overall at increasing participants’ knowledge and confidence in their knowledge levels, as well as comfort with educating community members on various public health topics. Information learned and found most helpful, and application and utilization plans for this knowledge in their work were revealed. Conclusions CHWs are important for disseminating health communication and education among members of their communities, and play a key role in reducing health disparities among at-risk populations. Clinical Evidence CHN-led educational intervention is a strategy to improve CHWs’ knowledge, confidence, and comfort.