title: Role and outcomes of community health workers in HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The provision of HIV treatment and care in sub-Saharan Africa faces multiple challenges, including weak health systems and attrition of trained health workers. One potential response to overcome these challenges has been to engage community health workers (CHWs).
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic literature search for quantitative and qualitative studies describing the role and outcomes of CHWs in HIV care between inception and December 2012 in sub-Saharan Africa was performed in the following databases: PubMed, PsychINFO, Embase, Web of Science, JSTOR, WHOLIS, Google Scholar and SAGE journals online. Bibliographies of included articles were also searched. A narrative synthesis approach was used to analyze common emerging themes on the role and outcomes of CHWs in HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 21 studies met the inclusion criteria, documenting a range of tasks performed by CHWs. These included patient support (counselling, home-based care, education, adherence support and livelihood support) and health service support (screening, referral and health service organization and surveillance). CHWs were reported to enhance the reach, uptake and quality of HIV services, as well as the dignity, quality of life and retention in care of people living with HIV. The presence of CHWs in clinics was reported to reduce waiting times, streamline patient flow and reduce the workload of health workers. Clinical outcomes appeared not to be compromised, with no differences in virologic failure and mortality comparing patients under community-based and those under facility-based care. Despite these benefits, CHWs faced challenges related to lack of recognition, remuneration and involvement in decision making.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CHWs can clearly contribute to HIV services delivery and strengthen human resource capacity in sub-Saharan Africa. For their contribution to be sustained, CHWs need to be recognized, remunerated and integrated in wider health systems. Further research focusing on comparative costs of CHW interventions and successful models for mainstreaming CHWs into wider health systems is needed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Education, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Brighton, UK. gwmwai@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Grace W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Mwai
authors.forename: Gitau
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mburu
authors.forename: Kwasi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Torpey
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Frost
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seeley
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D003150:Community Health Workers; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans
keywords: HIV; care; community health workers; sub-Saharan Africa; systematic review
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