PEMS (Program Evaluation and Monitoring System)
CDC has developed PEMS to strengthen monitoring and evaluation of HIV prevention programs. PEMS is to be used by health departments and CBOsfunded through CDC HIV prevention cooperative agreements. PEMS is a secure Internet browser-based software program for data entry and reporting. PEMS software was first released in the fall of 2004 to 42 health departments and 27 CBOs. It allows grantees to collect agency, community planning, and program plan data. The next release, scheduled for fall 2005, will enable grantees to enter client-level data and report to CDC. By the end of 2005, PEMS will be available to over 200 agenciesnationwide. PEMS will ensure that CDC receives standardized, accurate, and thorough program data from health department and CBO grantees. The data include

• agency information
• program plan details
• client demographics
• referral outcomes
• HIV test results
• partner elicitation and notification
• client use of services
• behavioral outcomes
• community planning priority populations and interventions

These data will allow more comprehensive reporting of HIV prevention activities, fiscal information, and community planning information. These data will help HIV prevention stakeholders examine program fidelity, monitor use of key program services and behavioral outcomes, and calculate and report the program performance indicators. PEMS will help CDC monitor, evaluate, and coordinate HIV prevention programs and support the rapid set-up of special studies and evaluation projects.

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CDC Program Evaluation Projects and Resources

Health Departments

• Health Departments, Guidance
  • Evaluation Guidance Handbook: Strategies for Implementing the Evaluation Guidance for CDC-Funded HIV Prevention Programs, March 2002
  • Schedule for Evaluation Activities
  • Questions and Answers from Health Department Trainings on CDC's Evaluation Guidance
  • Tips for Developing an Evaluation Plan to Fulfill CDC's Evaluation Guidance
  • Glossary of Terms
• 2001 HIV Prevention Program Evaluation Meeting Summary

Community-Based Organizations

• Community Based Organizations, Guidance
  • Questions and Answers from CBO Quarterly Report Training
  • Learning from the Community: What Community Based Organizations Say About Factors that Affect HIV Prevention Programs

Evaluation Capacity

• The National and Regional Minority Organization (NRMO)/Community-Based Organization Technical Assistance and Training Needs Assessment

Evaluation Methodology & Data System

• Evaluation Guidance Handbook: Strategies for Implementing the Evaluation Guidance for CDC-Funded HIV Prevention Programs, March 2002
• Model Performance Evaluation Program (MPEP)

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Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Nonrandomized Designs (TREND)

The Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Nonrandomized Designs (TREND) Statement was developed in 2003, in consult with journal editors and HIV researchers, in an effort to improve the reporting standards for nonrandomized evaluations of behavioral and public health interventions. The key content on this TREND website is a 22-item checklist specifically developed to guide standardized reporting of nonrandomized controlled trials. This Checklist can be downloaded directly from the CDC website, along with a free pdf of the AJPH article that provides additional information about the TREND effort, process, and rationale for these reporting elements.

The TREND statement complements the widely adopted Consolidated Standards Of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement developed for randomized controlled trials. The TREND and CONSORT statements are important for researchers, journal editors, funding agencies, and reviewers as guides to improve the quality of reporting research evaluations in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. A collective effort in promoting transparent reporting is needed to improve research synthesis and advance evidence-based recommendations for best practices and policies. We encourage all researchers, funding agencies, journal editors, and reviewers to use the TREND Statement as a guide when designing evaluation studies and when reporting evaluation results.

• Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Nonrandomized Designs (TREND)
• Consolidated Standards Of Reporting Trials (CONSORT)

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