Community Health Workers Against COVID19

Patients vulnerable for psychosocial suffering due to social distancing measures are recruited by family practitioners in the City of Ghent. The recruited patients are randomly selected into a control and intervention group. Based on the validated Promis instruments, all participants are interviewed face to face on their mental and social health at time 0 and after 6 weeks of intervention. Patients from the intervention group are contacted by Community health workers after the first interview. Community health workers offer emotional support to the patients through at least 8 contacts over 6 weeks. The control group receive care as usual and are offered support by community health workers after the second interview. In depth interviews (qualitative study) will be conducted among community health workers and patients after finalizing the post-intervention questionnaires. Research questions: What are the psychosocial consequences of social distancing for at-risk groups? Can community health workers reduce the psychosocial impact of physical distancing measures isolation? Relevance: Understanding community-based psychosocial support for vulnerable people during and after health crises. Keywords: Community health workers, psychosocial, health crises