Community consultation in HIV prevention research: a study of community advisory boards at 6 research sites.
OBJECTIVE
To better understand how community advisory boards (CABs) can be used to improve the quality of HIV prevention trials.


METHODS
Data collected included descriptive and epidemiologic reports, ethnographic observations, and face-to-face semistructured qualitative interviews with 67 CAB and research team members. Interviews were coded for themes related to community-based consultation.


METHODS
The study was conducted at 6 sites of the HIV Prevention Trials Network-Los Angeles, California; Birmingham, Alabama; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Harare, Zimbabwe; Lima, Peru; and Chiang Mai, Thailand.


METHODS
Thirty-six CAB members and 31 research team members, identified with the assistance of research staff at each site, were recruited for interviews across the 6 sites.


RESULTS
Both "broad community" and "population-specific" models were identified as strategies for CABs to represent potential participants in HIV prevention trials. CABs viewed their role as a bridge between the research team and trial participants. CABs improved prevention clinical trials by assisting in protocol development, recruitment, and retention. In addition, CABs both identified and helped resolve ethical issues in clinical trials.


CONCLUSIONS
When given time to develop, CABs appear to be a good strategy for building partnerships between researchers and communities for collaborative research projects. This approach has the potential to build sustainable capacity to identify and address ethical issues in research as well as community needs.
Morin
Stephen F
SF
AIDS Policy Research Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA. smorin@psg.ucsf.edu
Maiorana
Andre
A
Koester
Kimberly A
KA
Sheon
Nicolas M
NM
Richards
T Anne
TA
D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000941:ethics; D003153:Community Health Services; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D012017:Referral and Consultation