Press Release: About the Consortium for Strategic HIV Operations Research (CSHOR)

Why was CSHOR created?

The emerging field of operations research offers a practical and strategic approach to future planning for developing countries. Operations research can be performed on the ground, in real-time, to guide decision making at a single clinic or a regional or national HIV treatment program. Local data and best practices from programs around the world can be combined to help ensure consistency and quality of care.

Operations research is increasingly critical; as ever-vaster resources are poured into national HIV treatment programs, it is crucial to be sure they are used as efficiently to provide high-quality treatment and care for as many people as possible.

CSHOR was launched in response to direct appeals from CHAI’s partner countries for assistance with resource planning and allocation.

What is SIMCLIN?

SIMCLIN is a software decision support tool that is available through CSHOR to help guide HIV treatment and care. It incorporates local data and local models of HIV treatment delivery and can be used to estimate the resources that will be required to ensure high-quality HIV treatment, and to guide program planning.

CSHOR is currently working with several CHAI partners countries, including the Bahamas, Ethiopia, and Lesotho to deploy SIMCLIN to identify and address bottlenecks to high-quality HIV treatment. We expect to work with several additional partner countries in the coming year.

The CSHOR team has also worked with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) and antiretroviral suppliers to help produce global demand forecasts. These forecasts are being used to ensure that supply of drugs and the resources required to purchase and distribute them will be in place in the coming years.

How was CSHOR developed?

CSHOR was developed in partnership with several universities, including Cornell University and Harvard Medical School.

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