Queensland Positive People (QPP) using PozQoL in Life+ Program

Image provided by Queensland Positive People

Queensland Positive People’s Life+ Program

Queensland Positive People (QPP) uses the PozQol Scale within our Life+ program.

The Life+ program focuses on:

  • Supporting early initiation of treatment
  • Encouraging adherence to treatment
  • Supporting people living with HIV (PLHIV) to remain in care

The program aims to reduce the time from diagnosis to treatment initiation, and thereby prevent HIV disease progression and reduce the possibility of onward transmission. Case Managers and Peer Navigators work with PLHIV to address barriers to treatment initiation, adherence, and retention in care. This is achieved by building the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively self-manage HIV.

Life+ staff provide PLHIV with intensive support to ensure they are connected to health, community, and peer support services. Emotional support is a critical element within the Life+ program, and staff aim to create linkages between PLHIV and peers to support mental health and wellbeing.

Life+ consists of three main services that provide integrated and complementary services for PLHIV.

These are:

  • Treatment and support services
  • Stigma and discrimination services
  • Peer navigation

How we use PozQoL

The PozQol Scale is embedded within all Life+ client surveys. We administer these surveys at intake and closure.

Currently, QPP uses the English version of the PozQol scale. However, we do provide services to clients from non-English speaking backgrounds. Feedback both from these clients and from peer navigators has prompted discussions about using other versions of PozQoL. A future redesign of our client surveys will allow us to use the scale other languages.

Why we chose PozQoL

We chose to use PozQoL due to its relevance to QPP’s target population. Australian people with HIV collaborated in developing and validating the PozQoL Scale. This made it the obvious choice when deciding which QoL tool to utilise throughout the Life+ program.

What is useful about PozQoL

Due to the nature of our organisation and the aims of the Life+ program, a measure of the quality of life experienced by our clients is vital.

We use the information from PozQoL to support the notion that our service is achieving our pre-determined outcome measures. In future, Life+ client workers may also use this information to identify priority areas for individual clients (relating to the four PozQol domains).

Using a conditional sample, we have observed that people who access Life+ services report improved quality of life at closure.


About Jason and his work

Jason Radcliffe is the Public Health Officer at QPP.

QPP is a peer-based advocacy organisation. They promote self-determination and empowerment for all PLHIV throughout Queensland.

For more information on QPP’s Life+ program, please contact QPP via the contact details below:

Free call: 1800 636 241
Phone (within Australia): (07) 3013 5555
Phone (outside Australia): +61 7 3013 5555
Email: info@qpp.org.au