Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and Evaluation for D2C
Ideally, D2C programs should consider early in the planning process how they will regularly monitor their program’s processes and outcomes and evaluate the overall effectiveness of their program. Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) for D2C can include:
- Tracking routine program metrics (e.g., what percentage of individuals on the not-in-care list were successfully contacted)
- Addressing larger questions about the purpose of D2C in your jurisdiction (for example, “who tends to fall out of care in our jurisdiction?” or “how can we measure why people are falling out of care to ensure they don’t fall out of care again?”)
- Quality assurance processes and measures to confirm and improve data accuracy (for example, looking at program data to figure out the ideal frequency/timeline of pulling not-in-care lists, or identifying and fixing recurring data accuracy issues and gaps or delays in lab reporting)
Programs can and should use a variety of M&E data as inputs to continually revisit and modify their program processes and outreach strategies as needed. Health Departments may also want to consider reporting requirements from funders when developing M&E plans. It may be most efficient to align internal M&E efforts with funder evaluation and reporting requirements when possible.
Some programs also set benchmarks to compare against their actual outcomes. For example, setting rates for percentages of clients who are re-engaged or virally suppressed after being re-linked through the D2C program. Some frameworks or sources to help determine short-term achievable or longer-term target goals could include:
- Using previous program targets (e.g., from previous years of the D2C program, or from Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) activities focused on linkage if the D2C program is new)
- Reviewing local HIV care continuum data and goals for your jurisdiction
- Using national care continuum targets as benchmarks (e.g., 90/90/90)
M&E Resources
The Process & Outcomes Evaluation Tool provides a template for collecting and calculating key information to monitor the progress and outcomes of your D2C activities. For a list of sample process and outcome indicators, also see Data Points.
