Section 2: The Need for Integrated Guidelines
Prevention and care planning groups sponsored by CDC and HRSA use HIV/AIDS
epidemiologic profiles for multiple purposes. Despite the overlap in many of the data needs
of prevention and care planning groups, profile writers now use separate guidelines to prepare
their epidemiologic profiles (Figure 1).
Figure 1-1. Current development of HIV/AIDS epidemiologic profiles
Current Process
The current process for preparing separate epidemiologic profiles has several disadvantages:
- The demands of preparing 2 profiles may put a burden on state and local resources.
- Data sharing and collaboration between prevention and care are complicated by different
time frames and methods of presentation.
- Variations in profile quality and content may result.
- Lack of consistency and comparability of profiles may lead to disparities in setting
priorities or allocating resources.
Goals and Benefits of Integrated Guidelines
Recognizing that epidemiologic profiles for HIV prevention and care share common
purposes, data needs, and staff demands, CDC and HRSA agreed to create a set of common
guidelines that will contribute to the following goals and benefits:
|
Goal
|
Benefit
|
- Consistent epidemiologic profiles
- common time frame
- common data
- core elements with
specific sections to meet the individual requirements of CDC and
HRSA
- common data
elements, definitions, categories, time frames
|
- Increased usefulness and application
- Enhanced
sharing of information at all levels (federal, state, regional,
and local) and in all organizations
- Increased quality Increased
confidence in data validity because the data are being used for
two processes
|
- User-friendly epidemiologic profiles
|
- Easy interpretation and application to local
needs
- Enhanced possibility that data will be used in
planning
|
- Flexibility to customize profiles to meet local
needs
|
- Enhanced quality and sharing of information
while meeting local requirements
|
- Shared resources for prevention and care
|
- Reduced strain on local capacity Reduced
duplication of effort
|
Go
to Chapter 1, Section 3
|
