Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: There are more than 40 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS; the majority are from the developing world. Evidence for the effect of strategies for prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS affecting people in the developing world has not been well summarized. The Cochrane HIV/AIDS Group, in collaboration with the South African Cochrane Centre, initiated a mentoring program for novice reviewers in sub-Saharan Africa that has proven largely successful thus far.
Objectives: This programme aims to set up a mentoring programme for novice reviewers residing in countries in South Asia.
Methods: The Cochrane HIV/AIDS Review Group, based at the University of California in San Francisco, initiated a partnership with the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), based in Manipal, Karnataka, India; a network site of the newly formed South Asian Cochrane Network. The programme involves an overlapping two stage process. Phase I envisages the identification of new reviewers in South Asia working in or interested in the field of HIV/AIDS, through a series of sensitisation workshops throughout the country and from those identified by other Network sites in the region. During Phase II, reviewers would be trained, matched with mentors from the Cochrane HIV/AIDS Review Group or the South Asian Cochrane Network, and mentored through the review process.
Results: In 2004, four sensitisation workshops were conducted across the country and nine potential reviewers identified. Five mentors have been identified. A protocol development workshop was held in late December, 2004. Four titles have been registered with HIV/AIDS group of which one draft protocol stage has been peer reviewed and the other has been published in 2005, issue 2 of the Cochrane Library. A review completion workshop is being planned.
Conclusions: There is considerable interest in systematic reviews and the Cochrane Collaboration in India and other South Asian countries. This HIV/AIIDS mentoring programme seems set on a course towards success in helping people in the region initiate and complete good quality systematic reviews regarding interventions relevant to the prevention and care of people with HIV/AIDS in resource constrained settings. It will also increase the pool of trained Cochrane systematic reviewers in the region.
Objectives: This programme aims to set up a mentoring programme for novice reviewers residing in countries in South Asia.
Methods: The Cochrane HIV/AIDS Review Group, based at the University of California in San Francisco, initiated a partnership with the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), based in Manipal, Karnataka, India; a network site of the newly formed South Asian Cochrane Network. The programme involves an overlapping two stage process. Phase I envisages the identification of new reviewers in South Asia working in or interested in the field of HIV/AIDS, through a series of sensitisation workshops throughout the country and from those identified by other Network sites in the region. During Phase II, reviewers would be trained, matched with mentors from the Cochrane HIV/AIDS Review Group or the South Asian Cochrane Network, and mentored through the review process.
Results: In 2004, four sensitisation workshops were conducted across the country and nine potential reviewers identified. Five mentors have been identified. A protocol development workshop was held in late December, 2004. Four titles have been registered with HIV/AIDS group of which one draft protocol stage has been peer reviewed and the other has been published in 2005, issue 2 of the Cochrane Library. A review completion workshop is being planned.
Conclusions: There is considerable interest in systematic reviews and the Cochrane Collaboration in India and other South Asian countries. This HIV/AIIDS mentoring programme seems set on a course towards success in helping people in the region initiate and complete good quality systematic reviews regarding interventions relevant to the prevention and care of people with HIV/AIDS in resource constrained settings. It will also increase the pool of trained Cochrane systematic reviewers in the region.