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Objectives: A Primary Care Model Programme had been implemented in Hungary between 2013 and 2017 in which group practices were established that employed-among others-nonprofessional health workers (health mediators, similar to community health workers) to facilitate access for the most disadvantaged population groups. The health of mediators, themselves mostly disadvantaged ethnic Roma, was monitored every odd year of the Programme.Methods: A repeated cross-sectional health interview survey had been implemented inviting all health mediators who were employed at the time of the survey. The same questionnaire was used in all 3 surveys with items from the European Health Interview Survey 2009 and validated versions of other scales.Results: Positive changes occurred in the health status of mediators during 5 years of follow-up. Significant improvement in mental health occurred among those who completed on-the-job vocational training. By 2017, significant increase in sense of coherence was observed among those who obtained vocational qualification as opposed to those who did not. The proportion of highly stressed mediators showed a significant increase among those with no vocational training. Improvement was detected in all mediators in health awareness, dysfunctional attitudes, psychological stress and smoking prevalence.Conclusions: Significant improvement in mental status among those who obtained on-the-job vocational qualification were observed during follow-up of ethnic Roma health mediators in the programme in which they were equal members of the primary health care team. Employment of health mediators in primary care teams not only contributed to improving access to care for disadvantaged groups, but also improved the mental health of mediators themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that a Model Programme in primary care group practices was implemented in 2013 in solo practices in Hungary. Topics include examines that health mediators can be role models in their communities by being employed members of a professional team but also by improving their own health.

The authors discuss the concept of the Swiss-Hungarian Cooperation Programme entitled "Public Health Focused Model Programme for Organising Primary Care Services Backed by a Virtual Care Service Centre." They emphasize the goal of the general practitioners' (GPs) cluster to provide community-oriented primary care services aimed at improving the health status of the serviced population. These services include health promotion activities, health status assessment, and chronic medical care.

The article focuses on the primary health care development program which aims to reorient primary health care towards prevention with the long-term hope of improving the health status of general practitioners (GPs) working in the clusters in Hungary. It suggests that the goal of the training must be to equip workers with means of communication that enable them to mitigate any problem that might arise. It says that understanding the value of the program might be a challenge for GPs.