Omni-Channel Approach For Mentoring Community Health Officers To Improve Quality Of Health Services In Ayushman Arogya Mandirs Of Bihar

Abstract

The Ayushman Bharat initiative in India, which envisions the transformation of sub-health centres into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs), represents a milestone in India's journey towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). AAMs are mandated to deliver comprehensive primary healthcare through the deployment of Community Health Officers (CHOs) as mid-level service providers. Despite their crucial role, CHOs face challenges including clinical uncertainty, administrative bottlenecks, and suboptimal community engagement. This study evaluates the effectiveness of an Omni-Channel Mentorship Approach (OCA) in enhancing the performance of CHOs in Madhubani district, Bihar. The mentorship combined virtual and onsite engagements, targeting clinical capacity, administrative efficiency, and community participation. Using a mixed-method design, data from 30 AAMs were analysed before and after the intervention. Findings revealed statistically significant improvements in outpatient attendance (P<0.01), non-communicable disease screening (P<0.01), antenatal care check-ups (P<0.05), VHSND conducted (P<0.05); health education sessions (P<0.01) and essential drug availability (P<0.01). Qualitative findings highlighted increased CHO confidence, operational efficiency, team coordination and stronger community interface. Authors argue that structured and context-specific mentoring mechanisms are critical for optimizing the AAM model, especially in underserved regions. Institutionalizing mentorship protocols, developing standardized monitoring tools, and policy-level integration are essential for sustainable CHO capacity building for optimizing primary healthcare delivery in resource-constrained settings.