A systematic review of vital events tracking by community health agents

Figures & data

Figure 1. Flow Diagram of Literature Search Strategy.

Figure 2. Countries Represented in Literature Review.

Table 1. Literature search strategy used in databases.

Search order	Search terms used
1	Community Health Workers/
2	(community health worker* or frontline health worker* or outreach worker* or community health education worker* or lay health worker* or promotora* or village health worker* or volunteer health worker* or community health distributor* or community health surveyor* or community health assistant* or community health promoter* or community health agent* or rural health auxiliar* or rural health worker* or birth attendant* or skilled attendant* or health promoter* or community cadre*).tw.
3	1 or 2
4	(birth certificate* or death certificate* or vital statistics or vital registr*).mp.
5	((regist* or record* or report* or collect*) adj6 (birth* or death* or mortality)).tw.
6	verbal autops*.tw.
7	4 or 5 or 6
8	3 and 7
9	8 not (exp north america/or exp australia/or exp new zealand/or exp europe/)

The term ‘Midwives’ was deleted from the search strategy because it returned about 185 unique items that were all irrelevant.

Table 2. Categorization of community agent terminology.

Title	Description	Other titles used
Community health workers (CHWs)	Minimal to no payment; broad health focus; outreach-based service	Anaganwadi worker, community health promoters, community health agents, Kaders, village health workers (VHWs), Promotoras, health surveillance assistants, community health development agents, and Relais communautaires
Health extension workers (HEWs)	Paid; broad health focus; facility-based service	Health Assistants (HA), Family Welfare Assistants (FWA), lady health workers, multi-purpose worker
Surveillance agents	Paid; health focus; outreach-based service	Disease surveillance officers
Birth attendants	Payment varies; reproductive/health focus; outreach and facility-based service	Traditional birth attendants (TBAs)

Table 3. Summary of Scope of Review.

Category		Article n (%)^a
Location	Africa	29 (48.3)
	Americas	4 (6.7)
	Eastern Mediterranean	5 (8.3)
	South-East Asia	22 (36.7)
Urbanicity	Urban	5 (8.6)
	Rural	47 (81.0)
	Multiple sites or national	6 (10.4)
Type of program	Routine program	6 (10.3)
	Enhanced routine program	26 (44.8)
	Donor-sponsored program	2 (3.4)
	Research study	23 (39.7)
	General commentary	1 (1.7)
Type of community health agent	Community health workers	41 (58.6)
	Health extension workers	9 (12.8)
	Surveillance agents	2 (2.9)
	Birth attendants	10 (14.3)
	Other	8 (11.4)
Vital event collected	Births	46 (79.3)
	Deaths	55 (94.8)
	Cause of death	38 (65.5)
	Verbal autopsy	29 (50.0)

^a Where totals do not sum to 58, articles mentioned multiple categories.