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

描述(由申请者提供)：申请以患者为中心的研究(K24)职业生涯中期研究人员奖中所描述的活动的长期目标是通过使用定性方法来改善关于艾滋病毒/艾滋病的行为和社会研究。为此，我提出了一个为期五年的指导和研究计划，使用定性方法对撒哈拉以南非洲地区的艾滋病毒/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、博士后研究员、初级教员和其他合格的研究人员，他们将在行为和社会艾滋病毒/艾滋病研究中使用定性方法；以及(2)对正在进行的将艾滋病毒/艾滋病治疗和护理从医院诊所扩展到非洲社区的方法进行比较、定性研究(这里称为“横向扩展”)。该项目将在美国马萨诸塞州剑桥的哈佛大学、尼日利亚乔斯的乔斯大学和坦桑尼亚达累斯萨拉姆的穆亨比利健康与联合科学大学进行。在所有三个机构的资源的基础上，指导计划包括一对一的指导会议；通过视频会议在所有三个国家提供关于定性方法、研究设计和手稿写作的研讨会；将把美国和非洲的受训者实时聚集在一起的网络会议；以及正式评估。该研究项目将艾滋病毒护理中的滞留定义为患者不得不长途旅行才能预约诊所所造成的准入问题，调查了正在进行的减少距离障碍并使护理更接近患者家的努力。拟议的定性研究将记录和分析尼日利亚和坦桑尼亚实施这些努力的过程，并调查它们对患者护理体验的影响。随着结果在世界各地展开，这些结果将为未来实施横向扩展的努力提供信息。 公共卫生相关性：定性方法非常适合于理解患者的经验和在新的研究领域取得突破，但到目前为止，在公共卫生研究中的代表性还不够。拟议的指导和研究计划将为未来的公共卫生研究人员设计和开展定性研究提供装备。

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.