Work Related Problems Experienced By Community Health Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a pivotal role in delivering essential healthcare services, particularly in resource-constrained settings. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges for CHWs, amplifying the complexity of their work and exposing them to various occupational hazards. Objective: The study intended to assess the work related problems experienced by community health workers during COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 361 Community Health Workers by face-to-face interview using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire from January 2021 to December 2021 at six Upazila health complex’s in Pabna District. Data were collected by convenience sampling technique. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23 was used to enter and analyze data. Results: A total 361 of respondents, 55.4% were female and the mean age of the respondents was 39±0.854 years. Here, 50.7% (183) protect themselves in pandemic situation by given special attention to hand hygiene, 12.7% (46) said PPE is interference with verbal communication. Majority 48.2% (174) respondents were always wear personal protection equipment (PPE) during procedure. Most of the respondents 53.5% (193) had not feeling of fear during their work. Conclusion: The study revealed a range of difficulties, including prolonged work hours in personal protective equipment (PPE), vision problems related to face shields and goggles, and communication barriers due to PPE.