Helping Health Workers Learn: A Book of Methods, Aids, and Ideas for Instructors at the Village Level [Paperback]

David Werner (Author), Bill Bower (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1982 | ISBN-10: 0942364104 | ISBN-13: 978-0942364101 | Edition: 1st

Helping Health Workers Learn is an indispensable resource for all health educators. This heavily illustrated book shows how to make health education engaging and effective, while emphasizing a people-centered approach to care. It also presents strategies for effective community involvement through participatory education. Topics include: activities for mothers and children, tips for using theater, flannel-boards, and other techniques,strategies for producing low-cost teaching aids, and how to build on a community's traditions, experiences, and strengths.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The health workers of the title are not doctors and nurses, but village health workers - laypeople with a special interest in and calling for working with health problems, laypeople who are natural helpers. But there is much in this volume for professional health workers to learn. Helping Health Workers Learn is one of the few books on health education that face up to this major problem: Many health education programs increase layfolks' dependence on all-powerful professionals and undermine people's sense of their own abilities to take care of them selves. The authors clearly recognize that one of the biggest obstacles to self responsibility in health is the unwillingness of professionals to let go of control. --Tom Ferguson, MD Self Care Archives

Hesperian materials are invaluable, particularly when working at the community level. Though Helen Keller Worldwide uses a number of Hesperian publications, I feel Helping Health Workers Learn and Where There Is No Doctor are absolutely essential for public health organizations working in countries with limited infrastructure. We at Helen Keller Worldwide feel a strong connection with the Hesperian approach of designing health education and intervention from the point of view of the recipient, thereby guaranteeing community involvement and program efficiency. --Chad MacArthur, MPH, MEd, Director of Training and Community Education Helen Keller Worldwide

Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: The Hesperian Foundation; 1st edition (December 1, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0942364104
• ISBN-13: 978-0942364101
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #316,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Medical Books > Administration & Medicine Economics > Rural Health

More About the Author

Bill L. Bower, M.P.H. is Director of Education and Training at the Charles P. Felton National Tuberculosis Center at Harlem Hospital, and Assistant Clinical Professor at the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.

He worked with international health programs for over 20 years in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, focusing on the training of lay health workers, clinicians, and program managers. In the US, he has directed TB education and training efforts for 12 years as a Research Scientist for the New York City Department of Health Bureau of Tuberculosis Control and with the Charles P. Felton National Tuberculosis Center, helping to form the Northeastern Regional Training and Medical Consultation Consortium, serving 20 state and city tuberculosis control programs.

Mr. Bower has also worked with the education and training efforts of the MTCT-Plus Initiative of the Mailman School of Public Health, launching HIV/AIDS care treatment programs in 13 sites in sub-Saharan Africa and Thailand. He has contributed to both "Where There is no Doctor" and "Helping Health Workers learn," as well as professional education support for implementing service delivery and behavioral/operational research efforts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only for those who ponder our reality..., April 7, 2000

By 

D. Roy (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Helping Health Workers Learn: A Book of Methods, Aids, and Ideas for Instructors at the Village Level (Paperback)

This is an incredible book which truly emphasizes the reality of the world we live in. The title of the book leaves so much out of the true content within it. David Werner has managed to share his experiences in a very effective manner by providing examples, quotations and anecdotes. I recommend this book for anyone, not just healthcare workers! The premise of the book is to show the value of empowering a group to take charge of their well being. I enjoyed the book and I highly recommend it.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You must read this book if you work in public health., May 21, 2000

By 

Mare (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Helping Health Workers Learn: A Book of Methods, Aids, and Ideas for Instructors at the Village Level (Paperback)

Werner and Bower have catalogued hundreds, if not thousands, of techniques, devices, and ideas for use by health workers. It is a fantastic reference for people who are involved in public health.

While the presented settings are primarily rural or unindustrialized areas, the material is very adaptable to other situations or conditions. The authors provide comprehensive, detailed and realistic examples of methods that work to communicate health messages and create better living conditions.

It can be pithy. Don't expect to sit down and read it from cover to cover. I don't think the authors intended it to be used that way. Give yourself time to digest the information and enjoy the reading!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Reading, Deep Insights, January 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Helping Health Workers Learn: A Book of Methods, Aids, and Ideas for Instructors at the Village Level (Paperback)

This book, especially the first few chapters, are the most accessible words I've ever read on best practices in community organizing. Useful not just for health workers, I'd say it's a must read for community organizers, activists, PeaceCorps volunteers, etc. These guys have great insights on how a community can go about empowering itself.