Benefits of multiple methods for evaluating HIV counseling and testing sites in Pennsylvania

In 1995-1996, an evaluation was conducted of publicly funded HIV counseling, testing, referral, and partner notification sites in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A collaborative effort of public and private entities, this evaluation used multiple methods that proved to be more powerful in eliciting results than any of the methods used alone, and it did so with budget parameters determined by the public funding agency. This article examines the results of two methods: written mail surveys sent to all of the agencies in the population of publicly funded sites and interviews conducted at a random sample of sites. Results were found to be similar along lines of questions posed similarly by both approaches, and complementary in other areas. Benefits of triangulation in statewide evaluation of HIV/AIDS services are discussed.