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A WHOLE GREATER THAN ITS PARTS: A COMMUNITY-BASED MODEL FOR HIV/AIDSTREATMENT INFORMATION EXCHANGE
T Veinot1, T Rogers2
¹University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario; 2Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE), Toronto, Ontario
Background: HIV/AIDS treatment information provision involves working with large amounts of changing information from a range of sources. Developing accessible and meaningful information resources that speak to the diverse health communication needs of people living with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) and their caregivers is complex and challenging. This paper discusses evaluation research that assesses the context, effectiveness and impact of a community-based model developed by the Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE). CATIE is a bilingual, non-profit organization committed to improving the health and quality of life of PHAs in Canada through treatment information.
Methods: This study analyzes data from six studies undertaken from 2002-2003, including Key informant interviews (program outcomes; needs and issues) and User surveys (Web site; workshops; treatment publications; membership).
Results: Aggregate results demonstrate that CATIE has achieved several key outcomes related to individual and community empowerment. Furthermore, they illustrate the following elements of success:
• community-based action (PHA involvement, peer-based programs, community capacity development); • high quality information (unbiased information from trustworthy sources);
• accessibility (multiple formats, targeting diverse audiences, providing context through personal stories);
• adult education/empowerment approach (skills development, plain language information, respecting choice); and
• "determinants of health" approach ("treatment" includes medical treatments, quality of life, complementary therapies, etc).
Conclusions: A community-based, empowerment model is a successful approach to providing treatment information to PHAs and their caregivers. This model may help inform development of best practices in HIV/AIDS information exchange and community-based HIV practice.