Targeting HIV clinical training with maps: lessons from the Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center

Public health providers are increasingly called on to do more with fewer resources. Aiming to help HIV clinical training providers in 15 local sites to better target their efforts, the Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center (PAETC) implemented a method for integrating disparate information, such as program-level evaluation and publicly available health services data, into one combined and useful format. The resulting local area profiles were distributed to each training site and were updated annually for 2 years. As a result, local training teams adopted data-based approaches to doing their work. Training managers and faculty reported that data presented in spatial formats (i.e., maps) were most helpful for targeting their outreach and training. In addition to achieving the aim of supporting better programs, the project increased capacity for using data to support all aspects of training and education, from grant writing to strategic planning.