Smisha Agarwal
Biographic Data
| ID | 4217344 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Smisha Agarwal |
| GIVEN NAMES | Smisha |
| FAMILY NAME | Agarwal |
| SIGNATURE | AGARWAL S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Johns Hopkins University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7407-0066 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 2 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Enablers and barriers to implementing a digital logistics system
Logistics management information systems (LMIS) strengthen health commodity distribution and decision-making. Nigeria introduced OpenLMIS, an electronic LMIS, in August 2021 to track COVID-19 vaccines, and a routine immunisation (RI) module was deployed nationwide in 2023. This evaluation examined enablers and barriers to effective implementation and sustained use. A qualitative design combined desk reviews of LMIS documents, 42 key informants in…
Assessing the impact of a facility-based digital intervention on district-level data quality in rural Burkina Faso
INTRODUCTION: Digital clinical decision support tools are increasingly used in primary-level health facilities to improve maternal and child healthcare. These tools guide health workers to input patient records digitally, providing a critical opportunity to strengthen routine health information systems with real-time data and improve quality of care. However, often, these service-level data are not always effectively integrated into existing data…
Comparing apples with apples
This paper proposes a taxonomy for Community Health Workers (CHWs) and others engaged in front-line community health activities, encompassing formally-employed workers extending government primary health care (PHC) service delivery as well as a range of other actors with roles at the nexus of government PHC and communities. The taxonomy is grounded in current definitions from the World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization,…
Strategies for Sustained Empowerment of Community Health Workers
To understand the core aspects of an empowerment-based Community Health Worker (CHW) training program, we studied the model of the Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP) in Jamkhed, India-an organization known for facilitating empowerment of women as Village Health Workers (VHWs) and agents of community change. We define empowerment as a means by which individuals gain health and development-related skills and knowledge to facilitate positive …
Burden of mental distress in the US associated with trust in media for Covid-19 information
During the COVID-19 pandemic, news and social media outlets have played a major role in dissemination of information. This analysis aimed to study the association between trust in social and traditional media and experiences of mental distress among a representative sample of US adults. Data for this study came from National Pandemic Pulse, a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey that sampled participants on the Dynata platform. Parti…
Confirming—and testing—bonds of trust
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and national responses, trust (one’s belief that a system acts in one’s best interest) is important to consider. In community health systems, trust is embedded in relationships between clients, CHWs, and health system stakeholders. This mixed-methods study explores trust through the evolving COVID-19 crisis in Bangladesh, Haiti, and Kenya, where multi-country community health research was underway. We investigate the …
Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (Epoc) Qualitative Evidence Syntheses, Differences From Reviews of Intervention Effectiveness and Implications for Guidance
Systematic reviews of qualitative research (‘qualitative evidence syntheses’) are increasingly popular and represent a potentially important source of information about people’s views, needs and experiences. Since 2013, Cochrane has published qualitative evidence syntheses, and the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care group has been involved in the majority of these reviews. But more guidance is needed on how to prepare these revi…
Food Insecurity and Delayed or Forgone Medical Care During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Objectives. To describe food insecurity in the United States in December 2020 and examine associations with underuse of medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. We fielded a nationally representative Web-based survey in December 2020 (n = 8318). Multivariable logistic regression models and predicted probabilities were used to evaluate factors associated with food insecurity and compare the likelihood of delaying or forgoing medical car…
Understanding community health worker incentive preferences in Uganda using a discrete choice experiment
BACKGROUND: Community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in supporting health systems, and in improving the availability and accessibility to health care. However, CHW programs globally continue to face challenges with poor performance and high levels of CHW attrition. CHW programs are often underfunded and poorly planned, which can lead to loss of motivation by CHWs. The study aims to determine preferences of CHWs for job incentives with…
Development and validation of a multi-dimensional scale to assess community health worker motivation
BACKGROUND: Ensuring that Community Health Workers (CHWs) are motivated is critical to their performance, retention and well-being - and ultimately to the effectiveness of community health systems worldwide. While CHW motivation is as multi-dimensional construct, there is no multi-dimensional measure available to guide programming. In this study, we developed and validated a pragmatic, multi-dimensional measure of CHW motivation. METHODS: Scale v…
Qualitative Evidence Syntheses Within Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care
A growing number of researchers are preparing systematic reviews of qualitative evidence, often referred to as 'qualitative evidence syntheses'. Cochrane published its first qualitative evidence synthesis in 2013 and published 27 such syntheses and protocols by August 2020. Most of these syntheses have explored how people experience or value different health conditions, treatments and outcomes. Several have been used by guideline producers and ot…
Maternal and neonatal service delivery by traditional birth attendants in rural Benin
The Republic of Benin faces high maternal, newborn and child (MNCH) morbidity and mortality. Traditional birth attendants (TBAs) continue to operate on the margins of the health system yet provide critical services to women and children. This study aims to further the understanding of TBA's scope of practice for developing appropriate strategies to strengthen MNCH services at the community-level. TBAs were identified and surveyed on education, tr…
Strengthening community health supply chain performance through an integrated approach
BACKGROUND: In 2010, 7.6 million children under five died globally - largely due to preventable diseases. Majority of these deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. As a strategy to reduce child mortality, the Government of Malawi, in 2008, initiated integrated community case management allowing health surveillance assistants (HSAs) to treat sick children in communities. Malawi however, faces health infrastructure challenges, including weak supply …
Food Insecurity and Delayed or Forgone Medical Care During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Objectives. To describe food insecurity in the United States in December 2020 and examine associations with underuse of medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. We fielded a nationally representative Web-based survey in December 2020 (n = 8318). Multivariable logistic regression models and predicted probabilities were used to evaluate factors associated with food insecurity and compare the likelihood of delaying or forgoing medical car…
Strengthening community health supply chain performance through an integrated approach
BACKGROUND: In 2010, 7.6 million children under five died globally - largely due to preventable diseases. Majority of these deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. As a strategy to reduce child mortality, the Government of Malawi, in 2008, initiated integrated community case management allowing health surveillance assistants (HSAs) to treat sick children in communities. Malawi however, faces health infrastructure challenges, including weak supply …
Maternal and neonatal service delivery by traditional birth attendants in rural Benin
The Republic of Benin faces high maternal, newborn and child (MNCH) morbidity and mortality. Traditional birth attendants (TBAs) continue to operate on the margins of the health system yet provide critical services to women and children. This study aims to further the understanding of TBA's scope of practice for developing appropriate strategies to strengthen MNCH services at the community-level. TBAs were identified and surveyed on education, tr…
Understanding community health worker incentive preferences in Uganda using a discrete choice experiment
BACKGROUND: Community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in supporting health systems, and in improving the availability and accessibility to health care. However, CHW programs globally continue to face challenges with poor performance and high levels of CHW attrition. CHW programs are often underfunded and poorly planned, which can lead to loss of motivation by CHWs. The study aims to determine preferences of CHWs for job incentives with…
Development and validation of a multi-dimensional scale to assess community health worker motivation
BACKGROUND: Ensuring that Community Health Workers (CHWs) are motivated is critical to their performance, retention and well-being - and ultimately to the effectiveness of community health systems worldwide. While CHW motivation is as multi-dimensional construct, there is no multi-dimensional measure available to guide programming. In this study, we developed and validated a pragmatic, multi-dimensional measure of CHW motivation. METHODS: Scale v…
Qualitative Evidence Syntheses Within Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care
A growing number of researchers are preparing systematic reviews of qualitative evidence, often referred to as 'qualitative evidence syntheses'. Cochrane published its first qualitative evidence synthesis in 2013 and published 27 such syntheses and protocols by August 2020. Most of these syntheses have explored how people experience or value different health conditions, treatments and outcomes. Several have been used by guideline producers and ot…
Burden of mental distress in the US associated with trust in media for Covid-19 information
During the COVID-19 pandemic, news and social media outlets have played a major role in dissemination of information. This analysis aimed to study the association between trust in social and traditional media and experiences of mental distress among a representative sample of US adults. Data for this study came from National Pandemic Pulse, a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey that sampled participants on the Dynata platform. Parti…
Confirming—and testing—bonds of trust
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and national responses, trust (one’s belief that a system acts in one’s best interest) is important to consider. In community health systems, trust is embedded in relationships between clients, CHWs, and health system stakeholders. This mixed-methods study explores trust through the evolving COVID-19 crisis in Bangladesh, Haiti, and Kenya, where multi-country community health research was underway. We investigate the …
Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (Epoc) Qualitative Evidence Syntheses, Differences From Reviews of Intervention Effectiveness and Implications for Guidance
Systematic reviews of qualitative research (‘qualitative evidence syntheses’) are increasingly popular and represent a potentially important source of information about people’s views, needs and experiences. Since 2013, Cochrane has published qualitative evidence syntheses, and the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care group has been involved in the majority of these reviews. But more guidance is needed on how to prepare these revi…
Food Insecurity and Delayed or Forgone Medical Care During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Objectives. To describe food insecurity in the United States in December 2020 and examine associations with underuse of medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. We fielded a nationally representative Web-based survey in December 2020 (n = 8318). Multivariable logistic regression models and predicted probabilities were used to evaluate factors associated with food insecurity and compare the likelihood of delaying or forgoing medical car…
Strategies for Sustained Empowerment of Community Health Workers
To understand the core aspects of an empowerment-based Community Health Worker (CHW) training program, we studied the model of the Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP) in Jamkhed, India-an organization known for facilitating empowerment of women as Village Health Workers (VHWs) and agents of community change. We define empowerment as a means by which individuals gain health and development-related skills and knowledge to facilitate positive …
Comparing apples with apples
This paper proposes a taxonomy for Community Health Workers (CHWs) and others engaged in front-line community health activities, encompassing formally-employed workers extending government primary health care (PHC) service delivery as well as a range of other actors with roles at the nexus of government PHC and communities. The taxonomy is grounded in current definitions from the World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization,…
Enablers and barriers to implementing a digital logistics system
Logistics management information systems (LMIS) strengthen health commodity distribution and decision-making. Nigeria introduced OpenLMIS, an electronic LMIS, in August 2021 to track COVID-19 vaccines, and a routine immunisation (RI) module was deployed nationwide in 2023. This evaluation examined enablers and barriers to effective implementation and sustained use. A qualitative design combined desk reviews of LMIS documents, 42 key informants in…
Assessing the impact of a facility-based digital intervention on district-level data quality in rural Burkina Faso
INTRODUCTION: Digital clinical decision support tools are increasingly used in primary-level health facilities to improve maternal and child healthcare. These tools guide health workers to input patient records digitally, providing a critical opportunity to strengthen routine health information systems with real-time data and improve quality of care. However, often, these service-level data are not always effectively integrated into existing data…
Medicine (9 works) · Nursing (9 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (8 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Political science (6 works) · Public health (6 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Business (4 works) · Environmental health (4 works) · Population (4 works)