Global curriculum guide for community health workers
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World Health Organization
Abstract
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xi, 157 p.
Community health workers play a critical role in delivering essential health services and advancing progress towards universal health coverage, particularly within primary health care systems. This global curriculum guide provides comprehensive, competency-based technical guidance to support the design, adaptation and implementation of pre-service and in-service education and training programmes for community health workers. Developed through evidence review, global mapping of existing curricula and iterative expert consultation, it aims to address variability in training quality and support the progressive formalization and integration of this workforce within health systems. It is primarily intended for educators, curriculum developers, policy-makers and programme managers involved in community health workforce development. The document presents a structured framework based on competency-based education principles and aligned with the WHO Global Competency and Outcomes Framework for Universal Health Coverage. It is organized into core competency domains, universal modules applicable across contexts, and role-specific modules covering priority health areas such as communicable and noncommunicable diseases, life course health and population-based services. The guide outlines learning objectives, training approaches and assessment methods, including formative and summative evaluation, and emphasizes adaptation to local contexts, alignment with health system needs and integration within primary care teams to support a skilled, responsive and accountable community health workforce.
Community health workers play a critical role in delivering essential health services and advancing progress towards universal health coverage, particularly within primary health care systems. This global curriculum guide provides comprehensive, competency-based technical guidance to support the design, adaptation and implementation of pre-service and in-service education and training programmes for community health workers. Developed through evidence review, global mapping of existing curricula and iterative expert consultation, it aims to address variability in training quality and support the progressive formalization and integration of this workforce within health systems. It is primarily intended for educators, curriculum developers, policy-makers and programme managers involved in community health workforce development. The document presents a structured framework based on competency-based education principles and aligned with the WHO Global Competency and Outcomes Framework for Universal Health Coverage. It is organized into core competency domains, universal modules applicable across contexts, and role-specific modules covering priority health areas such as communicable and noncommunicable diseases, life course health and population-based services. The guide outlines learning objectives, training approaches and assessment methods, including formative and summative evaluation, and emphasizes adaptation to local contexts, alignment with health system needs and integration within primary care teams to support a skilled, responsive and accountable community health workforce.
Keywords
Community Health Workers, Curriculum, Competency-Based Education, Primary Health Care, Health Workforce, Universal Health Insurance, Community Health Services, Health Policy, Health Education, Program Development, Needs Assessment, Preventive Health Services, Communicable Diseases, Noncommunicable Diseases, Mental Health, Maternal Health, Child Health, Adolescent Health, Health Services for the Aged, Vulnerable Populations, Global Health, Water Supply, Sanitation, Hygiene, Environmental Health, Emergencies, Disaster Planning, education, standards, methods, organization and administration