Frequently Asked Questions

With new knowledge emerging, it can be difficult to keep pace with changes in HIV/AIDS programs. One of the purposes of AIDSTAR-One is to make this critical information more available to program planners and managers, summarized for busy people, and highlighting those aspects that support the development and implementation of strong and effective programs.

AIDSTAR-One will make extra efforts to document emerging technical knowledge. As new HIV/AIDS activities are being developed, for example, to expand care to communities or to limit the number of new infections occurring among discordant partners, AIDSTAR-One’s Technical Brief series synthesize state-of-the-art information on first- and next- generation programs and the research that supports their development.

With so many changes happening in HIV prevention, it can be hard for program planners and managers to keep pace. Both the HIV prevention field and prevention programmers can benefit from easy-to-access, up-to-date syntheses on a range of prevention topics. The AIDSTAR-One HIV Knowledge Base aims to provide users with a one-stop-shop for information on prevention activities.

AIDSTAR-One is committed to supporting the development and implementation of effective prevention programs by providing program administrators, planners and managers with up-to-date information on prevention approaches and activities. Materials on the website are intended for a broad audience, including policy makers, researchers and students. Links on the AIDSTAR-One site connect people to helpful resources and websites.

AIDSTAR-One’s technical experts and reviewers carefully select the materials that are represented on the website and update them on a continuous basis. Content is selected using a limited number of recent, seminal articles and resources to include in each Prevention Knowledge Base topic. This short list of articles is selected by topic area experts and undergoes a rigorous review process with multiple expert reviewers revising the content in a series of stages until it is published on the website. The primary objective is to provide users with the most recent developments in programs and research, although some important older references are included.

AIDSTAR-One’s goal is to synthesize state-of-the-art information and present it in an accessible, program-ready format so that it can be put to faster use. The AIDSTAR-One Knowledge Base content goes through multiple stages of technical writing and review by topic area experts. Content is screened for clarity, topic coverage and balance, technical accuracy, and accessibility to program planners and managers.

AIDSTAR-One HIV Knowledge Base provides program-relevant information for program planners and implementers. Each knowledge base topic is introduced with a short description of the activity, its epidemiologic importance, a short synthesis of the major findings from research and the current status of program implementation, followed by:

1. What We Know – Short summaries of major program relevant findings from a small set of seminal research articles that together provide the evidence-base that supports the approach to prevention
2. Putting it Into Practice – Summaries of key interventions on how to reduce the transmission of HIV. For those who want additional information, links are provided to the AIDSTAR-One Good and Promising Programmatic Practices (G3P) database
3. Tools and Curricula – Links to program materials, including tools, curricula, models, and promotional materials are provided for programs to adapt and use
4. Learn More – Links to important additional materials and websites, for those who want more information

These resources are designed to provide readers with program-ready synopses of critical information on 30 different types of prevention activities. Because effective HIV prevention approaches are likely to include a mix of strategies and risk reduction approaches, AIDSTAR-One encourages users not to read any one HIV Prevention Knowledge Base topic in isolation. Use the navigation bars on the sides of each page to find related prevention areas that are most effective when they work hand-in-hand.

AIDSTAR-One reviews and updates the HIV Prevention Knowledge Base materials on a continuous basis through a technical review process. In order to keep the volume of information presented at useful, manageable levels, newly posted materials often replace older ones. Look for the date on the bottom of each HIV Prevention Knowledge Base page to see when the materials were last updated.

The HIV Prevention Knowledge Base provides people who plan and implement HIV prevention activities with synopses of program relevant research findings and programmatic experience. Full citations and available links are provided so that people who may want additional information can learn more.

If you have a suggestion for how to improve the content of HIV Prevention Knowledge Base, send an email to info@aidstar-one.com and include the title of the specific Prevention Knowledge Base topic as the email subject.

With so many changes happening in HIV prevention, it can be hard for program planners and managers to keep pace. Both the HIV prevention field and prevention programmers can benefit from easy-to-access, up-to-date syntheses on a range of prevention topics. The AIDSTAR-One HIV Knowledge Base aims to provide users with a one-stop-shop for information on prevention activities.