Living Positive Victoria β€” Using PozQoL to monitor and evaluate peer programs

Header image provided by Living Positive Victoria

At Living Positive Victoria, we use PozQoL to monitor and evaluate our peer programs and services.

Peer-based approaches are informed by lived experience and community engagement. This environment is reassuring and de-stigmatising for people living with HIV.

Our services are where people living with HIV can find the information they need. At the same time, they can meet and see other people living well with HIV. This experience helps to dispel misconceptions and address self-stigma. It is also an opportunity to find support and build connections within the community.

All of these things improve quality of life for people living with HIV.

We know this from experience, but having evidence is also important. Good quality data supports our evaluation and learning. It also helps us build our credibility within the HIV care sector.

We use PozQoL to evaluate programs where we expect to see relatively quick improvement in quality of life.

These services include our peer navigation program, workshops for people recently diagnosed with HIV, and courses for people ageing with HIV. These programs offer timely support, address immediate concerns associated with a new diagnosis, and enable long-term self-management.


The PozQoL Scale is a tool that helps us monitor and evaluate the client-level impacts of our programs and services

The scale measures areas of HIV-related quality of life that we hope to see improve when people use our services.

These include clients’ self-perceptions of:

  • Their social wellbeing and belonging
  • HIV stigma
  • Their capacity and confidence to manage their diagnosis and live well with HIV

Our staff trust PozQoL. We know that the scale is accurate and sensitive because it was developed and rigorously tested by people living with HIV.

The scale is short, making it easy to fit into the brief forms and online surveys we ask clients to complete. Most clients are happy and able to complete the scale themselves. We provide in-person guidance for people who need additional support with their English reading and writing or with using online platforms.


About Timothy and his work

Timothy Krulic is a Health Promotion Officer at Living Positive Victoria. Living Positive Victoria is a peer-led organisation in Victoria, Australia. They provide support and services for people in Victoria who are living with, or affected by, HIV. Timothy produces health promotion content for members. He works across peer education, peer support, research, and evaluation.