Name of project: …………………………………………..
Assessed by: ………..……………………………………..
Date: …………..………………………………………………
Quality Assurance tool for of HIV prevention projects
targeting People Who Inject Drugs
PIQA 0.6
QUALITY ASSESSMENT/QUALITY ASSURANCE FORM
This work is part of the Joint Action on Improving Quality in HIV Prevention (Quality Action),
which has received funding from the European Union within the framework of the Health Programme.
COLOPHON
Title: PIQA 0.6 Quality Assessment/Quality Assurance Form
Authors:
Annemiek Dorgelo, Dutch Institute for Improvement of Health Care and Health
Promotion, CBO
Cor Blom, Soa Aids Nederland
With contributions from:
Viveca Urwitz, Swedish Institute for Disease Control
Marica Ferri, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)
Anastasia Pharris, European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC)
Katrin Prins-Schiffer, Eberhard Schatz, Correlation Network
Acknowledgements: PIQA is built on the Health Promotion Effect Management
Instrument Preffi 2.0. The owner of this instrument, CBO, had granted permission to
Quality Action to use Preffi 2.0 for the purpose of developing PIQA.
Publication date: March 2014
Financed by: PIQA is part of Quality Action (the Joint Action on Improving Quality
in HIV prevention in Europe), which has received funding from the European Union
within the framework of the Health Programme.
Copyright: Quality Action, 2014
www.qualityaction.eu
www.qualityaction.eu
INTRODUCTION
PIQA is a Quality Assurance tool for HIV prevention and health promotion
projects targeted at People Who Inject Drugs(PWID). The tool consists of:

A quality assessment/quality assurance form

A user guide
You are now reading the introduction to the quality assurance form.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PIQA
The PIQA tool will help you to assure the quality of your HIV prevention (or health
promotion) project(s) targeting PWID. You can use it to assess and receive
feedback on the strong and weak points of your project. It will also help you to
decide on steps to take to improve, and thus assure the quality of, your project.
PIQA can be used for projects that are intended to prevent HIV, STI, Hepatitis, TB
and other infections that are common among PWID. It can also be used for other
health promotion projects targeting PWID and for quality assurance of the health
promotion aspects of other PWID projects.
PIQA can be used by those implementing the project, by project coordinators and by
representatives from the target group who know about the project.
PIQA is a self-assessment tool. It is most useful when it involves a range of people
in the assessment process, including project team members, the target group and
other key stakeholders.
PIQA is based on evidence from research, practical experience and logic. The
clusters and questions in the quality assessment form have been shown to be
important for project success.
For more general information please refer to the user guide. In this guide you will
find:

General and back ground information on PIQA

Explanation of clusters and terms used

Online references to information relevant for answering the questions in the quality
assurance form
www.qualityaction.eu
www.qualityaction.eu
USING PIQA
Before you use the tool we advise you to:

Read the user guide

Have information about the project to hand

Decide how and with whom you will do the assessment and organise the
assessment process
After using the tool we advise you to:

Formulate an action plan

Involve stakeholders in realising this action plan

Repeat the assessment process
USING THE QUALITY ASSESSMENT/QUALITY
ASSURANCE FORM
First fill in the name of the project, the names of the people who assessed the
project, and the date of the assessment.
Assessment questions:

You can indicate if you think your project is strong, moderate or weak on the
item the question asks for by colouring the box green for strong, orange for
moderate and red for weak.

If you do not understand any part of the question, see Chapter 3 of the user
guide for explanations.

If you do not have the information to answer the questions, see Chapter 3 of
the user guide for references

to information and examples.
If you are not able to assess a question or you think it is irrelevant, you can
tick the relevant box.
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Overall assessment of cluster:

If you have assessed all the questions in a cluster, you can assess the quality
of the cluster as a whole. You do this by assessing whether the questions in
the cluster are mostly assessed as strong (lots of green boxes), mostly
moderate (lots of orange boxes), or mostly weak (lots of red boxes).

Colour the box Overall Assessment of cluster green for strong, orange for
moderate or red for weak.
Explanation of assessment per cluster:

Use this box to explain the assessment i.e. why you think the question in this
cluster should be assessed strong, moderate or weak. This makes it possible for
others to understand the rationale for your assessment.
Points of improvement:

Use this box to formulate up to a maximum of five points for improvements on
the questions which are assessed weak (red) or moderate (orange). Start with
the questions assessed weak (red).
Prioritised actions:

Use this box to formulate and prioritise three actions for improvement of the
project, taking into consideration urgency, capacity and budget. Look at all the
points for improvement you identified and start by prioritising the actions that
should be taken in the short term.
www.qualityaction.eu
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Overall assessment of project:

If you have assessed all the clusters, you can assess the quality of the
project as a whole.

Transfer the overall assessments for each cluster to Part 9 of the tool. Then
look at the overall impression. Is the project assessed as mostly strong (lots of
green boxes), mostly moderate (lots of orange boxes), or mostly weak (lots of
red boxes)?
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1.1
The Problem
Is the project driven by a clear definition of the (health) problem which
should be solved?
Does this description include:

how the chosen problem relates to other social problems in the
life of PWID?

if and what the consequences of the problem are for PWID in
the geographical area of focus?

if and what the consequences of the problem are for society in
the geographical area of focus?

if and how large the material consequences of the problem are?

by whom it is considered as a problem (e.g. target group,
professionals, politics, society)?
Distribution of the problem
1.2
Does the description include:

numbers about the size and commonality of the problem or
theme in the country?

if the problem is more common among certain sub-groups within
PWID (e.g. age, sex, ethnicity, income group)?

if the problem occurs more often in specific geographical areas?

if the problem occurs within a specific timeframe?
Overall Assessment of Cluster
Explanation of assessment
Points for improvement
1. …
1. …
2. …
2. …
3. …
3. ...
4. …
5. …
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not able to assess
irrelevant
strong
moderate
weak
1. Problem Analysis
X
X
2.1
Causes of the problem
Is the project driven by a clear explanation about the causes,
determining factors (determinants), of the problem?
Does this description include:

how the problem and the underlying determinants influence
each other?



the magnitude of the influence of these determinants?
which determinants of the problem are more prevalent among
certain subgroups within PWID?
evidence on the relation between the problem and the
underlying factors ?
Explanation of the problem
2.2
Does the description include:

which theoretical assumptions or models are used to explain
the problem and its underlying determinants?

how the theoretical model used helps to understand the
relationship between the health problem and its underlying
determinants?
Changeability of the determinants
2.3
Does the description include:

if the determinants can be influenced or changed?


evidence for the changeability of the determinants
what determinants should and could be changed according to
the target group (wishes, needs, motivational factors,
limitations and barriers to tackle the problem)?
Influence of stakeholders
2.4
Does this description include:

which stakeholders (professionals, agencies and social
sectors) have an influence on the problem?

to what extent these stakeholders do indeed perceive the
problem as a problem to act upon?

whether there is interest or pressure from decision makers,
public opinion, communities, or organisations to do something
about the problem?
Overall Assessment of Cluster
www.qualityaction.eu
www.qualityaction.eu
not able to assess
irrelevant
strong
moderate
weak
2. Determinants
X
X
Explanation of assessment
Points for improvement
Prioritised actions
1. …
1. …
2. …
2. …
3. …
4. …
3. …
5. …
www.qualityaction.eu
www.qualityaction.eu
X
Objectives
Are the activities of the project driven by a clear definition of the
objectives of the project?
Does this description include:










a SMART formulation of the project objectives?
a distinction of the objectives between levels? (short
term/long term, different determinants)
if and how it can be proved that the desired changes
formulated in the objectives can take place?
if the stakeholders agree with the objectives?
if the target group agree with the objectives?
if the staffing, money and time required have been estimated
to achieve the objectives?
if sufficient expertise, authority and partners are available to
achieve the objectives?
if the objectives are feasible within the timeframe?
if the objectives are feasible considering the available
resources?
if the chosen objectives fit with health problem analysis
(OTIC: see user guide)?
Overall Assessment of Cluster
Explanation of assessment
Points for improvement
1. …
Prioritised actions
1. …
2. …
2. …
3. …
4. …
3. …
5. …
www.qualityaction.eu
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irrelevant
not able to assess
strong
moderate
weak
3. Objectives
X
X
Target group and -area
Is the project focused by a specific definition of the target group?
Does this description include:

characteristics of the target group (e.g. size, age,
beliefs)?

a specific geographical area where the target group are
located?

concrete figures and data that support the choice of this
target group? (see cluster 1.2 and 2.1)

a check to see if selection and description of the target
group is in line with the beliefs of the target group
themselves (have they been consulted)?

a check to see if the described problem, determinants
and objectives fit with the selection of the target group
(OTIC: see user guide) ?
Overall Assessment of Cluster
Explanation of assessment
Points for improvement
1. …
Prioritised actions
2. ..
.
3…
1….
4…
2….
5…
3….
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irrelevant
not able to assess
strong
moderate
weak
4. Target group
X
5.1
Intervention method
Are the activities of the project driven by a clear specification of the
intervention methods being used?
Does the description include:

if the intervention method(s) are suitable to achieve the
objectives (OTIC: see user guide)?

if the intervention method(s) are effective?


evidence that the intervention method(s) are effective?
whether the described intervention method(s) would be
effective in this particular situation?
Effective techniques
5.2
Does the description include:

if the right techniques and strategies are used to reach the
target group?

whether one or more of the following effective techniques are
used to reach the target group e.g. public communication
channels, motivational interviewing, peer education,
community-based outreach, social media, targeted services,
services integrated in general health care or general social
services?
Multi-component and integrated approach
5.3
Does the description include:

if and which parts of a multi-component approach ( 7 key
interventions: see user guide) are used in the project?


if the project has connections with other components (key
interventions) that are not covered by the project ?
if and how referral is arranged between the project and the
other components (key interventions) in the field?
Participation
5.4a
Does the description include:

if stakeholders and the target group have been actively
involved in the development of the intervention?

if it is agreed which stages of the intervention the target
group should be involved in?
Fit with the target group
5.4b
Does the description include:

if the intervention fits with the values and norms of the target
group?

if this fit is supported by evidence from pre-tests, theory
and/or earlier experiences?

if the target group perceive the intervention as compatible
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X
irrelevant
not able to
assess
strong
moderate
weak
5. Intervention Development
X
with their values and norms?

if the project organisation has shown sufficient understanding
of the values and social norms of the target group?
Duration, intensity and timing of the intervention
5.5
Does the description include:

if timing, intensity and duration of the intervention has been
considered in the planning of activities?

if the timing of the intervention is appropriate according to
the different stakeholders?

if and which information from research or practice is used to
decide on the optimum duration, intensity and timing to
reach the intervention goals?
Overall Assessment of Cluster
Explanation of assessment
Points for improvement
1. …
Prioritised actions
1. …
2. …
2. …
3. …
4. …
3. …
5. …
www.qualityaction.eu
www.qualityaction.eu
X
Implementation strategy
Are the activities of the project driven by a separate description of the
implementation?
Does this description include:

a specific implementation strategy for how the intervention
will reach its (intermediate) target group(s)?








a SMART formulation of implementation goals?
if needs, motivation, knowledge and capacity of the target
group have been considered with respect to implementation?
if the capabilities of the target group are used as resource for
the implementation of the project (e.g. as peer educator)?
if needs, motivation, knowledge and capacity of the
intermediaries (professionals) has been considered with
respect to implementation?
if the intervention is compatible with the modes of operation,
procedures, standards and values of involved intermediaries
and their organisation(s)?
if evidence is used to support the effectiveness of the chosen
implementation strategy?
if monitoring and feedback are planned with respect to
implementation?
if specific times are planned with project members, target
group and stakeholders for adjustment of implementation
based on monitoring and feedback?
Overall Assessment of Cluster
Explanation of assessment
Points for improvement
Prioritised actions
1. …
2. …
1. …
2. …
3. …
4. …
3. …
5. ..
www.qualityaction.eu
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irrelevant
Not able to assess
strong
moderate
weak
6. Implementation
X
X
Evaluation strategy
Is development of the project supported by a separate description of the
evaluation of the project (evaluation plan)?
Does this description include:

SMART formulation of evaluation goals?

if questions of the stakeholders involved are addressed by the
evaluation?

if questions of the target group are addressed by the
evaluation?

if the required type of evaluation needed to answer these
questions has been considered?

whether and why it is likely that the desired change could be
caused by the intervention (if changes can be measured)?

if times are planned for collection, analysis and reports of the
evaluation data?

in which way the results will be communicated to the different
stakeholders and the target group?

if times are planned with project members, target group and
stakeholders for adjustment of the project based on the
evaluation results?
Overall Assessment of Cluster
Explanation of assessment
Points for improvement
Prioritised actions
1. …
1. …
2. ..
2. …
3. …
3. …
4. …
5. …
www.qualityaction.eu
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irrelevant
Not able to assess
strong
moderate
weak
7. Evaluation
X
X
8.1
Support/commitment
Is there a clear picture of the support and commitment for the project?
Does this description include:

an agreement about the involvement of internal and external
partners?

planning for the involvement of stakeholders and the target
group in every phase?

a formal arrangement for the accountability of the project?

support for the project goals by guidelines, action plans, or
(inter)national policies?
Sustainability
8.2
Does the description include:



actions to ensure and sustain the future of the project
whether the intervention is incorporated in an existing
structure or whether there are attempts to incorporate it?
whether attempts to incorporate it have been supported by
key persons at the right level (management, boards) ?
Capacity
8.3
Does the description include:



if the available capacity for the project has been assessed?
if the available capacity is suitable for the project’s
objectives?
if the available capacity is being used in the most efficient
manner at each stage of the project?
Leadership
8.4
Does the description include:





if there is a mandated person responsible for the project?
if the project leader has the necessary expertise, work-,
leadership- and management style and characteristics to
implement the project?
if the project is being implemented in accordance with a
project plan and/or communication plan which includes clear
decision moments?
if the project manager is able to utilise the available resources
in a flexible manner?
how the project manager ensures that the expertise within the
project staff is being kept up to date?
Overall Assessment of Cluster
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irrelevant
Not able to assess
strong
moderate
weak
8. Contextual factors
X
Explanation of assessment
Points for improvement
Prioritised actions
1. …
1. …
2. …
2. …
3. …
3. …
4…
5…
www.qualityaction.eu
www.qualityaction.eu
X
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Problem analysis
Determinants
Objectives
Target group
Intervention development
Implementation
Evaluation
Contextual factors
Overall Assessment of Project
Explanation of assessment
Points for improvement
1. …
Prioritised actions
1. …
2. …
2. …
3. …
4. …
3. …
5. ...
www.qualityaction.eu
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irrelevant
Not able to assess
strong
moderate
weak
9. Overall Assessment of Project
X