The HIV Epidemiology Research Study, HIV Out-Patient Study, and the spectrum of disease studies

The Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has several observational databases through which it collects individual level data that can be used to evaluate the spectrum of HIV-related diseases and the utilization of HIV-related health care services. The HIV Epidemiology Research Study (HERS) is a multisite, prospective cohort study of HIV-infected women and uninfected women reporting HIV risk behavior. By interview, clinical examination, specimen collection and storage, laboratory testing, and medical record abstraction, HERS is examining the manifestations, correlates and predictors of HIV disease in women. In addition to the basic visits, a variety of nested studies are under way and several more are planned. Three additional observational databases collect individual level data primarily through systematic medical record abstraction. The Adult Spectrum of Disease (ASD) Study and the Pediatric Spectrum of Disease (PSD) Study collect data from a national sample of hospital and clinic medical records. The ASD also has a supplementary interview administered to consenting patients with new AIDS diagnoses in a subset of their study sites. The HIV Out-Patient Study (HOPS) collects data from an electronic charting system on outpatient findings and clinical care for patients attending a national sample of infectious disease clinics.