In response to the AIDS pandemic, donors and national governments have committed to halting its spread and helping those affected by the disease by pledging funds and setting benchmarks to measure progress. However, to ensure that resources for the global campaign are used judiciously, HIV/AIDS policies and programs must be based on solid evidence about what is feasible, acceptable, and effective.

Over the past decade (1997–2007) the Horizons program, funded by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the generous support of the American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), conducted operations research to identify effective approaches for strengthening HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs. This work built on the vast experience of the Population Council, the chief implementer of Horizons, in operations research, and on many years of experience of Horizons’ partners¹ in HIV program evaluation and policy development.

Working with program managers and local field-based groups, Horizons used carefully designed evaluation approaches to assess the impact and costs of programs. The goal was to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of HIV programs and services delivered by providers and community groups, as well as the availability, accessibility, and acceptability of services desired by individuals and communities. Horizons disseminated information from its studies widely to help program managers and policymakers to increase coverage and scale up programs.

Horizons employed a multidisciplinary, international staff located in offices in Washington, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Accra, Dakar, Delhi, and Bangkok. In close collaboration with USAID, government institutions, NGOs, businesses, faith-based groups, and universities, Horizons completed more than 140 research-related activities in 28 countries to help reach the goals of PEPFAR of improved service delivery strategies for HIV prevention, care, and treatment.

Horizons research activities focused on a wide range of topics and populations, including HIV prevention, stigma and discrimination, prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, adherence to antiretroviral therapy, HIV testing and counseling, care and support, men who have sex with men, orphans and vulnerable children, and gender. Spanning a crucial decade in the global fight against AIDS, Horizons results and tools have been widely utilized in the development of program strategies, health services, and institutional and government policy.

In this toolkit, you will find all the components you need to design a successful HIV-related operations research (OR) study, from completing a research plan to designing a questionnaire. It is divided into four sections that each focus on a particular aspect of the process, in addition to an introduction to operations research and the complete AIDSQuest survey library. This toolkit draws from a decade of Horizons’ experience developing and implementing intervention studies to strengthen HIV prevention, treatment, and care programs and services around the world.

¹Horizons' partners: International Center for Research on Women, PATH, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Tulane University, Family Health International, and Johns Hopkins University.

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