Community Health Workers as Trust Builders and Healers: A Cohort Study in Primary Care
Robert L. Ferrer, Carolina González Schlenker, Inez Cruz, Polly Hitchcock Noël, Raymond F. Palmer, Ramin Poursani, Carlos Roberto Jaén
Abstract
PURPOSE: Improving patients' self-care for chronic disease is often elusive in the context of social deprivation. We evaluated whether a practice-integrated community health worker (CHW) intervention could encourage effective long-term self-management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: ) and need for urgent care, emergency department, or hospital visits. RESULTS: = .003). Rates of emergency department and hospital visits were lower in the self-care generativity group. CONCLUSIONS: Practice-linked CHWs can sustainably engage vulnerable patients, helping them advance self-management goals in the context of formidable social disadvantage.