Mentoring in Qualitative Methods for Patient-Oriented Research on HIV Care

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请中描述的活动的长期目标是通过使用定性方法改善艾滋病毒/艾滋病的行为和社会研究。该申请是面向患者的研究（K24）的职业中期研究者奖。为此，我提出了一项为期五年的指导和研究计划，利用定性方法对撒哈拉以南非洲的艾滋病毒/艾滋病进行社会和行为研究。具体目标是：(1)指导美国和非洲的学生、博士后、初级教师和其他合格的研究人员，他们将在行为和社会艾滋病研究中使用定性方法；(2)对将艾滋病毒/艾滋病治疗和护理从医院诊所扩大到非洲社区的现行方法（这里称为“扩大”）进行比较定性研究。该项目将在美国马萨诸塞州剑桥市的哈佛大学进行；乔斯大学，尼日利亚乔斯；以及坦桑尼亚达累斯萨拉姆的Muhimbili卫生与相关科学大学。以这三家机构的资源为基础，辅导项目包括一对一的辅导课程；在所有三个国家通过视频会议提供关于定性方法、研究设计和手稿写作的研讨会；网络会议将使美国和非洲的学员实时会面；还有一个正式的评估。该研究项目将艾滋病毒护理的保留视为由于患者必须长途跋涉去诊所预约而造成的获取问题，并调查了正在进行的减少距离障碍和使护理更接近患者家庭的努力。拟议的定性研究将记录和分析尼日利亚和坦桑尼亚正在实施这些努力的过程，并调查它们对患者护理体验的影响。研究结果将为今后在世界各地开展大规模推广工作提供参考。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goal of the activities described in this application for a Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24) is to improve behavioral and social research on HIV/AIDS through the use of qualitative methods. To this end, I propose a five-year program of mentoring and research using qualitative methods for social and behavioral research on HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Specific goals are to: (1) mentor students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty, and other qualified investigators in the U.S. and Africa who will use qualitative methods in behavioral and social HIV/AIDS research; and (2) conduct a comparative, qualitative study of ongoing approaches to expanding HIV/AIDS treatment and care from hospital-based clinics into African communities (here termed "scale-out"). The program will take place at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Jos University, Jos, Nigeria; and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Building upon resources at all three institutions, the mentoring program includes one-on-one mentoring sessions; seminars on qualitative methods, research design, and manuscript-writing made available through video-conferencing in all three countries; networking conferences that will bring U.S. and African-based mentees together in real time; and a formal evaluation. Framing retention in HIV care as an access problem created by the long distances patients have had to travel to keep clinic appointments, the research program investigates ongoing efforts to reduce the distance barrier and bring care closer to patients' homes. The proposed qualitative study will document and analyze the processes through which these efforts are being implemented in Nigeria and Tanzania, and investigate their impact on patient experiences of care. Results will inform future efforts to implement scale-out as they unfold around the world. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Qualitative methods are ideally suited to understanding patient experience and breaking ground in new areas of inquiry but to date have been underrepresented in research on public health. The proposed program of mentoring and research will equip future public health researchers to design and carry out qualitative studies.