Assessing the quality of routine HIV testing data in the community setting ‘COBATEST Network’

Abstract

The COBATEST Network of Community-Based Voluntary Counselling and STI/HIV Testing (CBVCT) services was created to standardise monitoring and evaluation of CBVCT services across Europe. This study aims to assess the quality of data collected in the network from 2015 to 2016. A survey was completed by 34 COBATEST Network members and an evaluation was performed of data quality based on three dimensions: transcription validity, completeness and consistency. The weakest area that we identified was data management processes. Only 8.8% of services had a written procedure to address data quality errors, 29.4% had procedures in place to resolve discrepancies and 35.3% performed quality control. We found that 41.2% of services utilised the COBATEST data, 11.8% made decisions based on the COBATEST data and 61.8% analysed their data in an independent manner for internal purposes. We conclude that while services have reliable data to support planning and management of services, improvements to quality procedures would ensure data are translated into evidence. This evidence would support further expansion of CBVCT services in the EU/EEA, including the integration of CBVCT-generated data into national surveillance systems.

Hepatitis C Screening in Community-Based Voluntary Counselling and Testing Services in Europe: An Observational Study from the COBATEST Network 2014–2018

“…There was a high proportion of missing data for some variables but, according to the sensitivity analysis, the estimated effect of this was minimal. There are issues with the data quality and documentation at service level which have been identified in a recent study [10] and have not all yet been resolved. CBVCT services offer anonymous and confidential screening services, and no on-site RNA test, thus it is unsurprising that there is a high percentage of missing information on RNA tests.…”

“…Firstly, we described characteristics and activity in CBVCT services which offer HCV screening. To do this we used an existing database created as part of a 2017 study into the quality of the COBATEST Network's data [10]. In the scope of that study, all the CBVCT services that were partners of the COBATEST Network in 2017 were invited to complete the online survey which was a piloted, structured ad hoc instrument hosted by the Survey Monkey website.…”