National HIV Prevention Program Monitoring

Title: National HIV Prevention Program Monitoring and Evaluation Continuing Training and Materials Maintenance Project

 Background and Need

CDC currently funds approximately 240 community based organizations (CBOs) and health departments (HDs) to provide HIV prevention programs. The Program Evaluation Branch (PEB) within the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) has promoted the use of the National HIV Prevention Program Monitoring and Evaluation (NHM&E) variables for standardized data collection and reporting for national and local HIV prevention monitoring and evaluation. PEB has also provided an optional web-base software, the HIV Prevention Program Evaluation and Monitoring System (PEMS), to assist grantees. The collection and analysis of standardized HIV prevention evaluation data allows CDC to report on HIV prevention efforts at the national level. Funded agencies are required to report the NHM&E required data and either use PEMS or other CDC-provided software for data submission to CDC or submit data compliant with NHM&E requirements and formats to satisfy the terms of their cooperative agreements. PEB also promotes the use of data for monitoring and evaluation at the local level. The PEMS software provides functionality for grantees to track their program efforts and review their own data for program monitoring and improvement.

Three large-scale software training sessions consisting of 18 meetings, each a week long, to train about 15 people each week, were conducted after each of the first major releases of the PEMS software. One representative from participating health departments and community-based organizations received the software training and related materials in order to train their staff members. Each of the training sessions focused specifically on technical skills required to implement PEMS. In addition to software training activities, CDC conducted training on HIV prevention program data collection strategies and required variables.

A lesson learned from these experiences was that grantees need continuing, integrated training. The training should:
 focus on collecting and using the NHM&E data,
 emphasize how required data can be used for program evaluation and monitoring activities,
 focus on activities necessary for using PEMS or other data collection software,
 assist grantees to improve program planning, management, and delivery of services.

Due to high turn-over rates among these organizations and agencies, many participating HDs and CBOs may currently have no staff trained in NHM&E or to use PEMS software, contributing to great variation in the level of implementation of evaluation and use of the PEMS. Staff may also not have an understanding of CDC's data requirements and how data can be used for improving HIV prevention programs. Hence, CDC is currently in the process of developing NHM&E training materials and presentations to cover a wide variety of needs. The goal is to develop web-based training materials that can be used by grantee staff on an as-needed, on-demand basis as self-paced learning, materials that can be used in webinars and other electronic training media, materials that can be used electronically or printed by grantees for their own use in conducting training for their own employees or contractors or as reference, and to develop and deliver training in a variety of settings (e.g., in-person, electronically, etc.). The task order to develop the initial set of materials and deliver these trainings ended December 31, 2009. A follow-on task order will end February 25, 2011. A four-month task order to keep work going through June 30, 2011 is in process. The proposed contract includes the development and completion of remaining training modules.

Moreover, since the NHM&E requirements are evolving as the epidemic and program monitoring needs change, and since the PEMS software will also be modified or replaced to accommodate grantee requests, changes in requirements, and improvements in system function, there is also a need to continue developing the NHM&E training and to maintain and improve the components of the training. This is the basis for this NHM&E Continuing Training Development and Maintenance Project contract request.