5-SPICE framework
The 5-SPICE framework is an instrument designed for global health practitioners to guide discussions about community health worker (CHW) projects. The 5-SPICE framework was developed by clinicians and researchers from Partners In Health, Harvard Medical School, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. The framework lays out a model for integrating community health workers into public health systems, learning from the experiences Partners In Health and partner organizations at their project sites in resource-poor settings around the world. 5-SPICE draws upon experiences from Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho, Liberia, Nepal, Mali, and elsewhere, where CHWs have been employed to improve patient outcomes and overcome personnel shortages. The framework allows for all stakeholders in a community health program to participate in discussions and analyses to strengthen the impact of CHWs. Background 5-SPICE allows for all stakeholders in a community health program to participate in discussions and analyses to strengthen the impact of community health workers. The name 5-SPICE is derived from Chinese cuisine emphasizing the balance between inputs and elements. The five main elements form an acronym: Supervision (especially management plans and structures) Partners (especially ownership and stewardship) Incentives (part of the larger theme of motivation) Choice (how CHWs are recruited to