Social Impact of the Work of Health Brigades as Community Health Workers

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The health brigades, which emerged at the First Congress of the Federation of Cuban Women in 1962, are made up of women volunteers who carry out health promotion activities, aiming to improve the quality of life of the population, especially women.

Objective: To showcase the social impact of health brigades in their role as community health workers.

Methods: Historical-logical methods, documentary analysis, and systematization were used to study the historical evolution of health brigades as community health workers. In addition, a bibliographic review of scientific articles related to the research topic was conducted in LiLACS, Medline, Google Scholar, and SciELO databases.

Development: The existence of health brigades in Cuba responds to the need to train personnel to collaborate on priority health tasks. It was found that, initially, the primary work of health brigades was focused on maternal and childcare; later, practical experience in confronting and controlling the dengue epidemics that occurred in 1977 and 1981 proved the effectiveness of the actions deployed in the communities, together with family doctors and nurses.

Conclusions: Health brigades have played an essential role in health promotion and prevention actions in priority programs, including maternal and childcare, combating addiction, and combating dengue.