Determining and establishing the optimal mix of health
personnel is a major challenge for most health care
organizations and health systems, according to the
World Health Organization (WHO 2000). Health care is
labor intensive and managers strive to identify a mix of
staff that can safely deliver a range of services using
available resources. In many developing countries,
primary-level workers, auxiliary staff, and community
health workers (CHWs) are being trained to assume
roles and perform functions traditionally reserved for
mid- or high-level cadres of health workers as a means
of optimizing the number and capacity of available
providers. The intention of this process, known as “tasksharing”
or “task-shifting,” is “to train cadres who do
not normally have competencies for specific tasks to
deliver them and thereby increase levels of health care
access” (WHO 2012).
A more rational sharing of tasks and responsibilities
among cadres of health workers is a promising strategy
for improving access and cost-effectiveness within
health systems. The World Health Organization recently
undertook a rigorous review of research from around
the world. Based on this evidence, WHO developed
guidance on which key maternal and newborn health
services can safely and effectively be delivered by, and
shared between, cadres of health workers, including
types of contraceptive methods.