Staff Interview-Counseling
(rev 8/11/99)
<Introduction>
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview. We are very interested in the operations of the health departments. Your answers will be kept confidential and your name will not be connected to your responses. Your honesty will enable us to gain a better understanding of both the normal operations and challenges you deal with. Please feel free to ask questions during the interview if necessary.
Start time __________
1. Is there any standard procedure to counseling in your health department?
2. Do you mainly provide client-centered counseling or provide education?
___Client Centered ___Education
3. Are educational materials used when counseling clients who seek HIV and STD testing and counseling? <collect materials>
HIV ___Yes ___No
STD ___Yes ___No
4. Are condoms available to clients?
4A. If yes, how are they provided?
4B. If no, why are they not made available for clients? ________________________
5. Is counseling adapted to fit different risk groups or demographics of clients?
5A. If yes, which groups?
5B. How is counseling adapted for each of the groups you just indicated?
6. To what extent does counseling occur when you are drawing blood in the field?
Prompts:
7. To what extent does counseling occur when you are drawing blood during mass screenings?
Prompts:
8. In what ways is counseling done differently when you are conducted it somewhere other than in the clinic?
9. In general, what are your main frustrations or barriers to effective counseling?
Prompts:
10. What changes could lighten the workload of counseling staff?
Prompts:
11. How does your staff assure that state / federal counseling guidelines are followed?
12. Can you describe the performance review system for counseling?
12a. Who conducts the review? _______________________________
12b. How frequently are various staff members job performances reviewed?
Every _________months / year
12c. How does the reviewer determine the quality of the workers work? Do they observe them counsel, review their paperwork, or just talk with them?
____________________________________________
12d. Can we see / obtain forms if available?
End time ______________
Staff Interview — Testing
(last revised 8/11/99)
<Introduction> Thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview. We are very interested in the operations of the health departments. Your answers will be kept confidential and your name will not be connected to your responses. Your honesty will enable us to gain a better understanding of both the normal operations and challenges you deal with. Please feel free to ask questions during the interview if necessary.
Start time: ____________
1. How often are people offered an HIV test when they come to the health department for
1a. STD services? ____ % of the time
1b. Reproductive health services (family planning)? ____ % of the time
1c. Other services? ____ % of the time
2. In your best estimate, what percentage of HIV tests are
2a. anonymous? _______
2b. confidential? ________
3. How long does it take to receive HIV results from the state lab?
_______ days
4. Are they ever sent to another lab?
Yes
No
4a. If yes, under what circumstances?
Prompts:
4b. If yes, How long does it take to receive HIV results if they are sent to a lab other than the State lab?
For rapid testing: ____ days
For standard testing: ____ days
5. Do you have any problems getting results to or back from the labs?
Yes
No
5a. If yes, what kinds of problems?
Prompts:
6. Do you have a way to determine demographic characteristics or risk-behavior profiles of clients who do not return for test results?
Yes
No
7. Are you aware of your post-test return rates?
Yes
No
8. If yes, what would you estimate your post-test return rate to be (in a percentage)?
_____ percent
9. Do you believe there is a way to increase post-test counseling return rates?
Yes
No
10. If yes, how so?
11. Does HIV testing ever occur in the field (or anywhere other than the clinic) by a HD staff person (i.e., drawing blood)?
Yes
No
12. Does STD testing ever occur in the field (or anywhere other than the clinic) by a HD staff person (i.e., cultures taken,
etc.)?
Yes
No
13. Do you have mass screenings in the community ?
Yes
No
14. Under what circumstances do you have mass screenings? For example, do you take a mobile unit out into the community, do you just "set up shop" on a street corner or in a parking lot, do you go into businesses or large organizations and conduct testing, etc.?
14a. To what extent does counseling occur when you do mass screenings like this? That is, how much time do you spend talking with individuals, and what are the main messages you give them?
14b. Do you provide referrals when you are testing out in the community? How? Do you:
15. If Yes, how many people are generally tested on a given day on average?
_________ people
16. How does your staff assure that state / federal testing guidelines are followed?
End time: ____________
Staff Interview — Referral
(Revised 8/11/99)
Start time: ____________
<ask staff if they have a list of referrals that they give to clients. If so, obtain a copy.>
1. To whom does your health department refer clients? Please indicate about how often you provide referrals to these agencies (indicate in per week, per month or per year). Also, please indicate whether any of these services are available ON SITE. (circle or star next to the letter).
| a.____ private physicians | b.____ mental health services |
| c.____ substance abuse treatment facility | d.____ wellness center |
| e.____ HIV / AIDS support center | f._____ DFACS |
| g.____ battered women’s shelter | h._____ family planning clinic |
| i.____ teen clinic | j._____ legal services |
| k.____ public housing assistance | l._____ employment assistance |
| m.____ homeless shelter | n._____ childcare |
| o._____ financial aid | p._____ insurance |
| q._____ transportation | r._____ other (please specify): |
2. Now we would like to talk about the agencies themselves. Of the agencies that you refer to, please rate (1-5) how effectively you think the agency meets the client’s needs.
1- very poorly 2- poorly 3- adequately 4- well 5- very well
| a.____ private physicians | b.____ mental health services |
| c.____ substance abuse treatment facility | d.____ wellness center |
| e.____ HIV / AIDS support center | e.____ HIV / AIDS support center |
| g.____ battered women’s shelter | h._____ family planning clinic |
| i.____ teen clinic | j._____ legal services |
| k.____ public housing assistance | l._____ employment assistance |
| m.____ homeless shelter | n._____ childcare |
| o._____ financial aid | p._____ insurance |
| q._____ transportation | r._____ other (please specify): |
3. At what point during the client’s visit to the Health Department does a staff member give a client referrals?
Prompts:
4. Who makes the referral?
Prompts:
5. Are referrals provided for all clients who are HIV positive?
Yes
No
6. How do you document referrals
Prompts:
7. Do you make appointments for clients?
8. Do you track the results of the referrals that you make?
9. Do you follow up with the referred agency to see if the client accepted referral services?
10. What agencies refer clients TO the health department? (May refer back to list on first page of referral section if this is helpful).
End time: ____________
Staff Interview — Partner Notification
8/11/1999
<Introduction>
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview. We are very interested in the operations of the health departments. Your answers will be kept confidential and your name will not be connected to your responses. Your honesty will enable us to gain a better understanding of both the normal operations and challenges you deal with. Please feel free to ask questions during the interview if necessary.
Start time: ____________
Partner notification can differ among the districts and we would like to learn about what makes your district’s PN process unique.
1. Do you follow a particular model? Yes No
1a. If yes, what type of model?
2. Can you describe the procedure for PN and point out any differences from the standard procedure?
3. What percentage of the time do you locate and notify needle sharing partners if you know that a client has been using IV drugs?
_______ percent
4. From whom do you receive help when locating partners?
Prompts
5. What criteria do you use to follow up with contacts elicited by original patients? (When a patient comes in, names their sex partners, and says "I’ll notify them myself" — how do you confirm that this happens?)
6. What are your main frustrations or barriers to conducting effective PN?
Prompts:
7. If you are giving patients test results in the field (not in your clinic), do you still elicit partners from them?
8. How does your clinic ensure that state and federal partner notification standards and guidelines are followed?
End time: ____________
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