Sample Solution

  The peer-reviewed program evaluation article I have chosen is entitled “Evaluation of a Statewide HIV Surveillance System” and was published in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice in 2014. The research questions posed by this study were to determine the effectiveness of a statewide HIV surveillance system in obtaining timely, accurate data on newly reported cases, as well as its impact on provider practices and patient outcomes.

This article used a quasi-experimental design that compared data from before implementation of the new system (baseline) with data from after implementation (follow-up). Data was obtained from various sources including medical records, provider surveys, interviews with patients, and self-report questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze demographic information about participants for both baseline and follow-up periods. A Chi Square test was also employed to assess differences between groups in terms of changes over time with regards to relevant variables such as health care utilization. Finally, a mixed methods approach was employed which included qualitative analysis through semi-structured interview responses to gain further insight into how providers perceived the new system’s impact on their practice. The results showed significant improvements in several areas related to disease management since implementation of the new surveillance system. These included reduced case reporting delays by 35%, improved accuracy of reported cases by 47%, increased access to prevention services among high risk individuals by 76%, increased number of patients receiving antiretroviral medications within two months of diagnosis by 61%, greater identification/referral for treatment centers for infectious diseases among 79% more patients at follow up than baseline, fewer referrals for home care or hospice following diagnosis due to earlier detection/treatment opportunities at 38%. In addition, qualitative findings indicated that providers felt more confident using the new system compared with preimplementation procedures because it allowed them easier access to necessary clinical information about their clients’ diagnoses and treatment histories when providing care or making referrals for services outside their practice setting. Overall this study provides convincing evidence that implementation of this particular statewide HIV surveillance system led to meaningful improvements in public health outcomes related both directly (i.e., improved service delivery) and indirectly (i.e., positive impacts on patient outcomes) while also enhancing providers' ability to make informed decisions when caring for those living with HIV/AIDS or referring them elsewhere for specialized treatments or preventative measures if needed based upon individualized patient needs assessment rather than relying exclusively upon general population level trends or assumptions regarding prognosis/risk factors associated with certain diagnoses etc.. A limitation identified is that most survey respondents were recruited via convenience sampling which could lead potential bias given not all eligible parties may have had equal opportunity representation within the sample pool utilized nor did they represent every possible category potentially impacted such as those who may be underdiagnosed due either lack access testing sites near them or even fear associated stigma attached seeking out screening opportunities . This would indicate more robust study designs incorporating larger sample sizes drawn from multiple geographical locations are needed better gauge full extent benefits aforementioned interventions real world applications should intentions become implemented nationwide scale thereby allowing greater confidence extrapolate findings onto much broader levels particularly those regions experiencing higher rates prevalence undiagnosed infections where barriers accessing healthcare need addressed order provide best return investment overall successful disease management programs long term basis mitigation future outbreaks transmission control efforts going forward