Lay health workers in primary and community health care for maternal and child health and the management of infectious diseases
Peer reviewed article
The objective of this systematic review is to assess the effects of lay health worker interventions in primary and community health care on maternal and child health and the management of infectious diseases.
The review concludes that lay health workers probably have an impact on breastfeeding, immunization uptake and tuberculosis treatment results, and may reduce the number of children who suffer from fever, diarrhea and pneumonia and the number of deaths among children under five. Lay health workers may also may also result in an increase in the number of parents who seek help for their sick child.