Table 1.
CHW characteristics and activities
| Indicator | Bomi | Gbarpolu | Grand Gedeh | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 17 | 18 | 25 | 60 |
| Male, n (%) | 14 (82) | 16 (89) | 18 (72) | 48 (80) |
| Mean age, years | 37 | 36 | 33 | 35 |
| Any suspected or confirmed cases of Ebola infection in their community, n (%) | 2 (12) | 5 (28) | - | 7 (12)* |
| Anyone died from Ebola in their community, n (%) | 2 (12) | - | - | 2 (3) |
| Observed trend in CHW services during Ebola outbreak compared to before the outbreak, n (%) | ||||
| Stayed the same | 3 (18) | 2 (11) | 2 (8) | 7 (12) |
| Increased | 3 (18) | 2 (11) | 4 (16) | 9 (15) |
| Decreased | 11 (65) | 14 (78) | 19 (76) | 44 (73) |
| Drugs available during the Ebola crisis, n (%)a | ||||
| Diarrhea | 11 (65) | 8 (44) | 19 (76) | 38 (63) |
| Pneumonia | 7 (41) | 8 (44) | 16 (64) | 31 (52) |
| Drugs available currently, n (%) | ||||
| Diarrhea | 10 (59) | 6 (33) | 23 (92) | 39 (65)* |
| Pneumonia | 4 (24) | 1 (6) | 17 (68) | 22 (37)* |
| Malaria | 7 (41) | 17 (94) | 23 (92) | 47 (78)* |
| Level of HF functioning during outbreak, mean (median) (1 = non-functional; 5 = fully functional) | 1.6 (1) | 3.0 (4) | 3.1 (2) | 2.7 (2)* |
| Supervision received during Ebola crisis, n (%) | 15 (88) | 18 (100) | 24 (96) | 57 (95) |
| Red Cross project staff | 12 (71) | 17 (94) | 21 (84) | 50 (83) |
| MOH | 6 (35) | 6 (33) | 12 (48) | 24 (40) |
| Other NGO | - | - | 7 (28) | 7 (12) |
| Received training on No-Touch Policy, n (%) | 16 (100) | 18 (100) | 24 (96) | 58 (98) |
| Who provided training on No-Touch Policy, n (%) | ||||
| Red Cross project | 11 (69) | 18 (100) | 23 (92) | 52 (88)* |
| MOH Staff | 6 (38) | 7 (39) | 7 (28) | 20 (34) |
| Other NGO | 2 (13) | 1 (6) | 17 (68) | 20 (34)* |
| Used No-Touch guidelines when assessing sick children, n (%) | 13 (76) | 18 (100) | 24 (96) | 55 (92) |
| Contact from MOH/local health facility during the Ebola responseb, n (%) | 11 (65) | 12 (67) | 22 (88) | 45 (75) |
| Engaged in Ebola prevention education to community, n (%) | 17 (100) | 18 (100) | 25 (100) | 60 (100) |
| Support received to provide Ebola prevention education activities, n (%) | ||||
| Red Cross project staff | 12 (71) | 13 (72) | 21 (84) | 46 (77) |
| MOH Health Staff | 3 (18) | 4 (22) | 5 (20) | 12 (20) |
| Community Health Committee | 6 (35) | 4 (22) | - | 10 (17)* |
| Other NGO | 4 (24) | 7 (39) | 16 (64) | 27 (45)* |
* p < 0.05 for Fisher’s exact test of differences in proportions across County or Anova f-test of differences in means across County
aMalaria drugs had not yet been distributed to CHWs at the time of the Ebola outbreak
b80% reported the purpose of the visit was to ask the CHW to create awareness and provide Ebola prevention education