Behavioural Surveillance Surveys - The Wisdom of Whores

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Setting up
BSS : steps in the process
This chapter describes the process of setting up and conducting BSS.
These steps include a preparatory phase of building up relationships
with people who will be involved in collecting and using the data and
defining their needs. Appropriate groups for surveillance must be chosen,
the feasibility of quality data collection in these groups assessed, and
sampling frames developed. Implementation of data collection follows, with
the dataset analyzed and finally, the results disseminated and used to
improve prevention programming.
This chapter gives a preliminary overview of
these processes. Individual steps are covered
in far greater detail in subsequent chapters.
It is important to recognize that the process of
setting up behavioral surveys is not as linear
as this series of steps might suggest. Rather,
it is an iterative process. Information gathered
or conclusions reached in one step, such as
site selection and mapping, may lead to the
review of decisions made at other steps, such
as the definition of measurement objectives.
The whole process seeks to established a
delicate balance between what is most useful
and what is most feasible.
Step1 : Building partnerships
In planning for behavioral data collection,
it is important that a number of groups and
individuals agree on the goals of the data
collection as well as the practicalities.
The following section outlines the groups
who are most likely to be key to this process ;
after that comes a discussion of the issues
around which consensus is most important.
B EHAV I OR A L S U R V EI L L A NC E SURV EY S CHAPTER 2
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