Using lay health workers to improve access to key maternal and newborn health interventions

Overview

The use of lay health workers in community and primary health care settings for certain interventions can be effective, acceptable, and feasible, and can reduce inequalities by extending care to underserved populations. Lay health workers can be used to deliver interventions in contexts where these interventions are not usually provided by the health professional cadres available.

Who is this summary for?

People making decisions regarding the use of lay health workers for maternal and newborn health care.

This summary includes:

Key recommendations from the WHO recommendations Optimizing health worker roles to improve access to key maternal and newborn health interventions through task shifting.