Training of Community Health Agents in health hearing children: Current perspectives

Abstract

Purpose: To characterize the training of Community Health Workers in the field of child hearing health. Research strategy: A systematic literature review on Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS) and Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações of USP databases was performed. Selection criteria: The search strategy was oriented by the specific question: "How have the Community Health Workers been trained to work in the field of child hearing health?" The study selection criteria involved consistency with the proposed theme, belonging to the category of scientific papers, dissertation or thesis, and publication in Brazilian Portuguese. Data analysis: A total of 2,687 studies were found. After analyzing the title and abstract, eight studies were chosen for full reading, however, only four of them met the proposed criteria and were included in the review. Results: The studies indicated live and virtual classes with the use of video conferencing or CD-ROM as training strategies for Community Health Workers. Trainings were effective. Only one questionnaire about hearing and language monitoring was described. Different possibilities for the activities of Community Health Workers were identified. Conclusion: Different learning methodologies have been used for training the Community Health Worker in the field of child hearing health, and all of have proven effective for knowledge acquisition. Community Health Workers play an important role in promoting and monitoring child hearing health.