In addition to the systematic reviews, PRS works on other activities to help improve the current knowledge and quality of science within the HIV prevention research field.

Moving Science into Practice

PRS works together with CDC’s Replicating Effective Programs (REP) and Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions (DEBI) projects to translate scientific evidence into program practice. Many of the evidence-based HIV behavioral interventions identified through the PRS efficacy review process have been translated into intervention packages through the REP project.  In addition, many of the REP intervention packages are currently being disseminated, with training, to U.S. prevention providers through the DEBI project. See PRS, REP, and DEBI and PRS Publications by Topic for more details.

Methodological Contributions

PRS has published papers on systematic review and meta-analytic methods for HIV prevention research. These are listed below and referenced in the PRS Publications by Topic:

• A protocol for the analytical aspects of a systematic review of HIV prevention research.
• Acquisition and review of non-U.S.-based HIV risk reduction intervention studies.
• HIV prevention research: cumulative knowledge or accumulating studies? An introduction to the HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Synthesis Project supplement.
• Quality of study methods in individual- and group-level HIV intervention research: critical reporting elements.
• The HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Synthesis Project: scope, methods, and study classification results.
• Theoretical issues in the synthesis of HIV prevention research.

Evidence-based public health decisions are based on controlled trials of interventions. Transparent reporting of evaluations is crucial for assessing the validity and efficacy of these intervention

• TREND
  
  PRS was instrumental in organizing a group of journal editors and methodologists to discuss ways to improve reporting standards of non-randomized controlled trials of behavioral and public health interventions. This group developed the Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Nonrandomized Designs (TREND) statement, which consists of a 22-item checklist specifically developed to guide standardized reporting of non-randomized controlled trials (Des Jarlais et al., AJPH, 2004). PRS also recommends following Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) for reporting the findings from a randomized controlled trial.

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