Integrated Infectious Disease Capacity-Building Evaluation

There are four major components of the evaluation design as described below: 1) Site Assessment, 2) Competence and practice of individual MLP who participate in IDT, 3) Facility cost and performance indicators, and 4) Mortality survey. The site assessment guided the curriculum development and site selection. As shown in Figure 1, it occurred only once in Year 1. The effect of the IMID and OSS on competence of individual MLP will be evaluated with written case scenarios or vignettes. Data on case scenarios will be collected three times: a) before training, b) after the three-week course, and c) after the nine-month program that includes two, one-week booster courses and distance learning. To estimate the effect of IMID, aggregate changes in test score across all 3 time points for both arms will be analyzed jointly. To estimate the effect of OSS, differences in change in test score starting from after the three-week course to the end of the nine-month program will be compared across the 2 arms. The effects on practice of individual trainees will be evaluated with clinical assessments by mobile team faculty during five outpatients visits and five HIV clinic visits by individual MLP. Data on clinical assessments will be collected two times: a) before training, and b) after the nine-month program. Facility performance indicators will be collected on a monthly basis from each site. Sites will be randomly assigned to begin OSS in either Phase 1 or Phase 2 and the facility indicators of these two samples of sites will be compared. The principal investigators of IDCAP are actively considering collecting data on mortality among children under five, but a final decision has not been made. At the request of the acting chairperson of SOMREC, we are including information about this potential activity. Mortality surveys would be conducted before and after the OSS.

Inclusion criteria

Facilities selected for OSS:

• The health facility had to be a HC IV or comparable facility such as a small general hospital or non-governmental organization clinic
• It had to be an active ART site or accredited ART site that is scheduled to become active by April 2009
• No past or current participation in a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense
• Has a population of potential patients who are not prisoners
• Representation from all six administrative regions of Uganda

Exclusion criteria

• NA

MLP selected from the participating facilities for IMID:

Two mid-level practitioners (clinical officers, nurses, or midwives) who are actively engaged in clinical infectious-disease care will be selected for enrollment in IMID