Development of a COVID-19 Protocol for Frontline CHWs in Rural Guatemala

Abstract
COVID-19 will negatively impact maternal health outcomes in low-resource, rural communities. The indirect effects of the pandemic on the health of women and girls are significant and concerning. Many factors contribute to poor maternal health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, including travel restrictions, limited financial agency, hindered education, domestic violence, and shifting familial and societal roles. Furthermore, misinformation regarding the virus may spread in communities, resulting in distrust of healthcare providers and the services offered. WHO, UNICEF, and other major organizations have emphasized the need for community-based health services in low resource settings to mitigate the expected rise in maternal mortality and pregnancy-related complications. In Guatemala, Saving Mothers works with community health workers (CHWs) in the rural region of Sololá to deliver maternal health services to the local indigenous women. Saving Mothers has developed a home-visit COVID-19 protocol to ensure their safety, protection, and adherence to healthcare guidelines as front-line workers. Feedback from local community elders informed development of this protocol and it was adapted into a checklist and infographic to facilitate the CHW training process. Following implementation of the protocol, both CHWs and patients reported ease with protocol-uptake and satisfaction with the health services rendered.

Keywords
maternal health care, COVID protocols, CHW training

Cite this paper
Jessica Oliveira, DMS, MSPA, Daniel Hu, Eleanor Lawrence, MPH, Taraneh Shirazian, MD, Development of a COVID-19 Protocol for Frontline CHWs in Rural Guatemala , SCIREA Journal of Clinical Medicine. Volume 6, Issue 2, April 2021 | PP. 93-114. 10.54647/cm32425

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