Two Pilots of an Implementation Science Training Program for HIV Prevention and Care Service Providers: Lessons Learned and Future Directions.

Abstract

Background: Development, implementation, and dissemination of HIV-related implementation strategies require partnerships with affected communities, government agencies, and HIV service organizations. Implementation science (IS) training for partners is needed to ensure they can benefit from, and equally contribute to, implementation research (IR). Building IS knowledge and expertise in real-world practice increases providers' ability to offer evidence-based HIV interventions and effectively implement them at scale to achieve the goals of the national Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative.

Methods: National Institutes of Health funds the Implementation Science Coordination Initiative (ISCI) and the Sociostructural Implementation Science Coordination Initiative (SISCI) to support studies in the conduct of rigorous HIV IR through technical assistance, development of IS tools, and trainings for researchers and implementers. As part of these efforts, we created and evaluated 2 pilot IS training courses for HIV service providers: the Practitioner-Oriented Implementation Science Education (POISE) and the Implementation Practitioner Training (IPT). We discuss the importance of training for implementers, the development of our curriculum, lessons learned, and future directions for IS trainings.

Conclusions: Implementers play a critical role in IR, because they are the beneficiaries of the knowledge produced and are responsible for effectively implementing HIV interventions to achieve EHE goals. Few training courses in IS are specifically designed to meet the needs of those implementing HIV evidence-based interventions and little is known about how to design and deliver them to maximize training benefit. Both training pilots increased participants' ability to apply IS to their work. Participant input provides valuable feedback to improve future training.