Designing a Regional Information System for Surveillance of Voluntary HIV/AIDS Counseling and Testing in Iran

• Voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) for HIV infection is a confidential service offered to individuals in the community. This study intended to present a pattern for regional surveillance of VCT services in Iran.• This was an applied descriptive study. At first, the existing regional VCT surveillance in 2009 was investigated through visiting the Clinical Deputy of Medical Sciences Universities, interviewing, considering the available forms and documents, and application of checklists. Then, the regional VCT surveillance of some selected countries including the USA, the UK, and Australia were studied. The next step was to design and poll a pattern (using Delphi method) based on Iran's requirements. The validity and reliability of the related tools were confirmed using the content validity method and test-retest method, respectively. The descriptive theoretical analysis of data was performed via a comparison between the studied countries.• Considering the current situation of Iran and lack of a comprehensive system, the investigators used the guidelines of the WHO and experiences in the US, the UK, and Australia to present a pattern for regional VCT surveillance. The pattern consisted of four aspects including data collection and reporting, data clarification, data analysis, and data distribution. Delphi method showed an agreement rate of 38.1 out of 44 (86.6%) and therefore confirmed the pattern.• Since the VCT centers collect most HIV-related data, a comprehensive knowledge about their services and outcomes can have a significant role in designing and improving HIV/AIDS interventions and strategies. Considering the fact that the prevalence of the disease differs in various provinces and regions of the country, clarification, analysis and publication of regional data are highly important.