Skills2Care: An innovative, cooperative learning programme for community health workers in South Africa

BACKGROUND: Community health workers (CHWs) hold potential to support universal health coverage and better health for vulnerable communities. They are integral to the re-engineered Primary Health Care (PHC) strategy, introduced in South Africa in 2011. This study focussed on how to train CHWs in large numbers, especially in resource-limited, rural settings. Skills2Care, a method of cooperative learning for CHWS, has been pioneered in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. AIM: To determine whether Skills2Care could improve the cognitive knowledge of CHWs; to understand their response and attitude to the programme; to explore factors that enabled and inhibited learning and to consider its viability as a training method. SETTING: Research was conducted in 2019 in the Ngqeleni subdistrict of the O.R. Tambo district, in rural Eastern Cape. METHODS: A group-learning model using specifically tailored study modules in booklet format, addressing mother and baby care, was used. A facilitator promoted learning. Knowledge assessment was conducted by pre- and post-study testing using multiple choice questions. Focus group discussions and interviews explored the appropriateness and acceptability of this method, and factors enabling and inhibiting the learning. RESULTS: This method of peer group cooperative learning can significantly increase the cognitive knowledge of CHWs. Test scores indicated a significant (13%) improvement. Focus group discussions indicated that participants valued this method as it increased knowledge and boosted their confidence. CONCLUSION: This innovative approach to district-based, continuing education suggests that CHWs could be trained in large numbers without the need for additional resources.