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Background: In support of the 2010 National HIV/AIDS Strategy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides funding to Health Departments to implement high impact HIV prevention programs to reduce new infections, increase access to care and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV. This presentation will highlight lessons-learned from implementing the PS data requirements, conducting data quality assurance processes, and calculating program performance indicators at the national level.
Methods: Health departments began submitting client-level HIV PS data to CDC for the first time in March 2012 for their 2011 program activity. Standardized NHM&E variables for index patients and their named partners captured information on client demographics, behavioral risks, HIV testing history, referrals to HIV testing and linkage to HIV medical care. CDC received 2011 PS data from 47 of 59 health departments. This presentation focuses on data submitted by 36 whose data were in an analyzable format.
Results: After utilizing SAS and conducting the Data Management/Data Quality processes to increase data collection standardization and quality, a total of 21,913 index patients and 14,481 partners were identified in PS programs. Eighty-five percent of index patients accepted enrollment in PS and 77% of their partners were located. Among those partners identified not known to be HIV-positive, 83% received an HIV test and of those, 93% received their results. A review of PS programs across 59 health departments indicated that 56% of health departments used a combination of rapid and conventional test technologies for PS activities.
Conclusions: Program integration that involves both HIV and STD programs (currently 42 Health Departments) has the potential to be highly effective in notifying partners and referring them for HIV testing. Health Departments can also use national HIV PS indicators as benchmarks to improve their own service delivery.