Interview Analysis: Community Health Worker Role and Responsibilities

This report presents an interview with a community health worker, exploring various aspects of their role and responsibilities within the community. The health worker discusses their use of an online system for record keeping, emphasizing its importance for quality patient care and effective communication. They share experiences advising community groups on public health issues such as diet during a cholera outbreak, highlighting strategies for promoting hygiene and food safety. The interview also covers challenges faced in advising clients on intellectual and social development, including parental negligence, language barriers, and cultural beliefs. Furthermore, the health worker describes their experience with childhood immunization, the assistance provided to families for social services, and the frequency of home visits to high-risk individuals. Finally, the predominant health issues in the community, such as nutritional issues, prescription drug overdose, and HIV are discussed. The interview provides valuable insights into the multifaceted role of a community health worker and the challenges they face in promoting public health.

Running Head: Interview of a community health worker 1
Interview of a community health worker
Student’s Name
Institution
Date

Interview of a community health worker 2
The community health worker was asked various questions that were thought to be relevant in
their role. The questions and the answers the health worker provided have been mentioned
below.
The first question that the health worker was asked is whether he used a system to
maintain and update the records of the clients with the appropriate information and why he
thought record keeping is important. The health worker answered that he used an online system
to maintain and update the information of the clients after he gathers the data of the clients after a
case is reported. He listens to the clients' information into the details, types under the client's
name, saves and retrieves the information when there is a need. He said that record keeping is
important because it leads to quality patient care and enhances good communication. It also leads
to high-quality health care and creates professionalism in nursing, (Lillyman, 2014).
In the second question the health worker, was asked to give an experience that he advised
community groups about issues related to quality public health such as diet. The health worker
said that he addressed a group in the community when there was a cholera outbreak in the
society. He reported that he realized poor hygiene in the society after which he decided to do
community mobilization to halt the cholera hazard. He advised people on how to maintain
healthy means of cooking and storing food and emphasized that the members should extensively
clean their vegetables and fruits. They should cover food after serving or when storing, (Long,
Pickering, & Prober, 2012). He also emphasized on cleaning hands with clean water every time
they visited the washrooms.
The third question he was asked was about the challenges he came across when advising a client
or group on intellectual or social development, for example, child care. He was also asked to
share an experience

Interview of a community health worker 3
The health worker reported experiencing a lot of challenges. He said that when it comes to child
care, negligence of parents and guardians is among the problems he faced. Some parents were
not ready to listen to dietary patterns they are advised to follow to cure their children of
Kwashiorkor. Some parents come to the community sessions when drunk and thus can't grasp
anything helpful. He experienced a language barrier challenge due to illiteracy in the community
and social, cultural and religious beliefs. He shared an experience of when a particular client
became reluctant of taking her child to antenatal clinics for immunization because of her faith
that discouraged immunization.
In the fourth question, he was asked to describe the experience he had when he advised clients on
the need for childhood immunization and its accessibility. The health worker said that the
immunization issue was positively received by the highest number of parents. After he taught the
need of every immunization, the parents were ready to protect their children from risks that
emerge when children are not immunized. Many numbers started to visit the nearby health
centers for children immunization purposes. Those parents who found it hard to take their
children for immunization requested for home immunization.
The fifth question he was asked was to explain how he assists families to apply for social
services such as Medicaid or social services for infants, children or women.
He said that he helps families by holding community meetings through chief who mobilizes the
members to attend meetings. After letting them conversant with the social services and their
availability, he gave them the contacts to call during emergencies and forms to fill in their
contacts and other relevant information guided by questions. He channeled the forms to general
hospitals for analysis and when the hospitals are offering the social services, those in need are
contacted through the contacts provided in the forms.

Interview of a community health worker 4
The sixth question he was asked was how frequently he makes home visits to the high-risk
individuals, pregnant women or newborns to assess their needs or monitor their progress.
He reported that he has a list from hospitals of these groups. Because the number is high, they
share responsibility with other community health workers where every health practitioner
handles a particular group. He had been accorded duty to the high-risk individuals who he visited
at home thrice per week unless when there was an emergency when he visits any time after an
emergency call is made.
The last question he was asked was about the predominant health issues in the community.
The health worker mentioned the predominant health issues to be nutritional issues such as
obesity, prescription drug overdose, food safety, harms from alcohol, HIV and healthcare-
associated infections, (Bruggman & Press, 2017)

Interview of a community health worker 5
References
Bruggman, A., & Press, S. (2017). Salem Health: Community & Family Health Issues. New
York, NY: Salem Press.
Lillyman, S. (2014). Nursing & Health Survival Guide: Record Keeping.
doi:10.4324/9781315848082
Long, S. S., Pickering, L. K., & Prober, C. G. (2012). Principles and Practice of Pediatric
Infectious Diseases E-Book. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Health Sciences.