21. HIV Patient Monitoring and ART Cohort Data Analysis

 

Description

The aim of the training course is to strengthen capacity for antiretroviral treatment (ART) programme monitoring through the use of cohort data with the ultimate goal of improving HIV care and treatment outcomes.

The course wil start with introductory presentations on key indicators that are collected to estimate the coverage and impact of HIV prevention and treatment programmes, and principles and methods of HIV care and treatment cascade analysis. The cascade analysis is used to determine the magnitude of the losses and gaps along the continuum of HIV care and to explore reasons for these losses.

The course addresses design issues of ART cohort studies, tools that are used to collect  data, aggregation of data across the facilities and challenges in implementation of cohort studies in HIV treatment programmes. Participants will be also able to learn principles of cohort data analysis, including survival analysis and bivariate and multivariate regression.  To practice data analysis, participants can bring their own data or will be provided with  data from course organisers.  

Through exercises (practica) participants will acquire skills in data analysis and interpretation. Exercises will also illustrate the most common challenges in data use, such as those arising from the errors in data collection, missing data, cohort design and the ways data have been analysed and presented in the reports.

 

Learning objectives

The course aims to provide participants with the practical skills needed to perform cohort data analysis and interpret the findings.

Following are the learning objectives:

• Understand and apply the concept of a cohort to ART monitoring and evaluation
• Organize cohort data collected through routine patient care and programme monitoring
• Calculate key quality indicators for HIV care and treatment programmes
• Interpret cohort data to enhance capacity for HIV programme monitoring
• Communicate cohort information to stakeholders
• Gain skills in conducting ART cohort analysis

 

Key topics:

• Principles of ART cohort analysis and how it can be used for programme monitoring;
• HIV treatment outcome measures; ART retention indicators
• Time periods for monitoring ART retention; 
• Original vs. net cohort;
• Aggregation of cohort data across facilities and data periods (e.g. quarterly, semi-annually and/or annually, etc.);
• ART data collection tools and flow; steps in cohort data analysis; key issues in data interpretation; data quality challenges.

 

Teaching methods

The course will be based on lectures and exercises. Participants will be able to practice management and analysis of  cohort data during group work, by either bringing data from their countries or by using data that will be provided by course facilitators.

 

Target audience

Epidemiologists, social scientists, public health professionals.

 

Partner institution:

• Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, USA

 

This course was held in:

•  Zagreb, Croatia 
•  Cairo, Egypt on request of WHO Regional Office for Eastern Mediterranean