Stichting HIV Monitoring data collectors’ review day
Data collectors from all over the Netherlands recently came together at Stichting HIV Monitoring in Amsterdam to learn about the latest developments in the field. During the review day, the data collectors were given an update on the latest guidelines for collecting data on diabetes. These revised guidelines should ensure that the data collected on diabetes is more in line with the requirements of certain research projects that need this information, such as the D:A:D study. To complement this, the data collectors were given a refresher course on diabetes.
Another aspect covered during the review day was the registration of new patients in the SHM database. This will soon be managed entirely electronically: instead of sending a fax to register or deregister a patient, treatment centres will be able to do it online using a special form.
In the afternoon session, the data collectors were given a talk by an invited speaker, hospital pharmacist Maren Blonk. Dr Blonk’s talk on the pharmacology of antiretroviral drugs introduced terms like pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and half-life, and also explained the pharmacology of interactions. In addition, the talk discussed how to interpret drug blood concentrations. This was followed seamlessly with a case presentation in which one of the data monitors discussed the interaction between ART and co-medication.
All in all it was felt to be a successful and informative day.