Training community health workers to screen for cardiovascular disease risk in the community: experiences from Cape Town, South Africa

INTRODUCTION: This article describes a training process to equip community health workers (CHWs) with knowledge and skills to identify individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a township in Cape Town. METHODS: CHWs were employed by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) primarily focusing on non-communicable diseases (NCDs). They were trained in the theory of CVD, including physiological changes and related risk factors and in obtaining anthropometric and blood pressure measurements. Pre- and post-training tests assessed learning needs and the effectiveness of imparting knowledge about CVD, respectively. RESULTS: Training increased knowledge about CVD risk factors. CHWs were able to screen and identify those at risk for CVD and refer them to health professionals for validation of scores. The initial one-week training was too short, given the amount of information covered. Some CHWs had difficulty with English as the primary instruction medium and as the only language in which tests were offered. CONCLUSION: Although CHWs could be trained to screen for CVD risk, increased training time was required to impart the knowledge. The language used during training and testing presented challenges for those trainees whose dominant, spoken language was not English.