Implementation of HIV Prevention Interventions in Resource Limited Settings: The Partner Project, Deborah Jones et al, Journal of Community Health (2014)

This manuscript describes the process of implementing the Partner Project, a couples HIV risk reduction intervention in Zambia, and examines the ability of community health clinic (CHC) staff to achieve risk reduction outcomes comparable to those of the highly trained research staff.  For this study, 197 HIV seroconcordant (both partners have the same HIV status) and serodiscordant (one partner is HIV positive, one HIV negative) couples were enrolled to the control group or to receive the intervention from partner research or CHC staff members. Couples completed assessments on condom use, alcohol use, and intimate partner violence (IPV) at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months.

Sexual barrier use outcomes achieved by the CHC staff were comparable to or better than those achieved by the partner project research staff, and both were superior to the control group. A reduction in IPV was observed for the entire sample. The report concludes that implementation of HIV prevention interventions at the community level should take advantage of existing resources available within the CHC staff. This is especially relevant in resource-limited settings as consideration of the financial and clinical requirements of intervention programs is essential to the achievement of successful program implementation.