title: Empowering Patients and Community Online: Evaluation of the AIDS Community Information Outreach Program.
abstract: The AIDS Community Information Outreach Program (ACIOP) was created in 1994 to assist the affected community in utilizing electronic HIV/AIDS information resources. Nearly 300 competitive awards have been made to mostly community-based organizations. A formal evaluation was undertaken to determine the performance and impact of the ACIOP. A mixed methods design combined quantitative abstractions and summarization of 47 awardee final reports from 44 organizations, and qualitative telephone interviews with 17 individuals representing 20 projects. Findings revealed that project objectives were mostly met; high-risk populations were reached; low resource organizations were funded; community partnerships were significant; projects built on existing efforts; information resources and training were tailored to local needs; and most projects overcame barriers experienced. Needed modifications centered on: 1) enhancing evaluation capacity at the individual project level and 2) revising project reporting requirements to increase the amount of information available to assess the ACIOP; both have been implemented.
authors.affiliation: Division of Specialized Information Services, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dancy-Scott
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Maxine L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Rockoff
authors.affiliation: Division of Specialized Information Services, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Gale A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Dutcher
authors.affiliation: Division of Specialized Information Services, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Alla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keselman
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schnall
authors.affiliation: Elliot Siegel Consulting, Bluffton, SC.
authors.forename: Elliot R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York, NY; School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bakken
keywords: AIDS; Community-Based Outreach; HIV; Health Information; Information Dissemination; Program Evaluation