Conclusions
We can conclude that the results of this research are
useful, if only for the reason that they represent a first
attempt to study the relationship between social capital
and VHV performance in Lao PDR and have led to the
proposal of effective methods to improve VHV performance.
Furthermore, in the greater context of global
health, few previous studies on the relationship between
social capital and CHW performance have yielded effective
policy recommendations.
The findings of this study suggest the possibility that
social capital could be used for improving CHW performance.
First, social capital could work as a predictive
indicator to help find VHVs who will perform well. It
may be useful when selecting a new VHV from a village.
Another point is that VHV performance could be improved
by fostering their social capital. It will prove useful
not only in Lao PDR but also in other developing
countries where health policy incorporating CHWs is
being implemented. This is because CHWs play an
important role in enhancing the community health of
low- and middle-income countries and because improvement
of CHW performance is an ongoing policy
challenge in these countries. Finally, we believe that
continued efforts to deepen our understanding of the association
between social capital and CHWs will prove valuable
in the future