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      Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) among People Living With HIV (PLHIV): a cross-sectional survey to measure in Lao PDR

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          Abstract

          Rationale

          Since 2001, antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV (PLHIV) has been available in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR). A key factor in the effectiveness of ART is good adherence to the prescribed regimen for both individual well-being and public health. Poor adherence can contribute to the emergence of drug resistant strains of the virus and transmission during risky behaviors. Increased access to ART in low-income country settings has contributed to an interest in treatment adherence in resource–poor contexts. This study aims to investigate the proportion of adherence to ART and identify possible factors related to non-adherence to ART among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Lao PDR.

          Methods

          A cross-sectional study was conducted with adults living with HIV receiving free ART at Setthathirath hospital in the capital Vientiane and Savannakhet provincial hospitals from June to November 2011. Three hundred and forty six PLHIV were interviewed using an anonymous questionnaire. The estimation of the adherence rate was based on the information provided by the PLHIV about the intake of medicine during the previous three days. The statistical software Epidata 3.1 and Stata 10.1 were used for data analysis. Frequencies and distribution of each variable were calculated by conventional statistical methods. The chi square test, Mann–Whitney test and logistic regression were used for bivariate analyses. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictors of non-adherence to ART. A p-value < 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.

          Results

          Of a total of 346 patients, 60% reported more than 95% adherence to ART. Reasons for not taking medicine as required were being busy (97.0%), and being forgetful (62.2%). In the multivariate analysis, educational level at secondary school (OR=3.7, 95% CI:1.3-10.1, p=0.012); illicit drug use (OR=16.1, 95% CI:1.9-128.3, p=0.011); dislike exercise (OR=0.6, 95% CI:0.4-0.9, p=0.028), and forgetting to take ARV medicine during the last month (OR=2.3, 95% CI:1.4-3.7, p=0.001) were independently associated with non-adherence.

          Conclusions

          Non-adherence to ART was associated with individual factors and exposure to ART. Priority measures to increase adherence to ART should aim to intensify counseling and comprehensive interventions, such as guidance for PLHIV on medication self-management skills, tailoring the regimen to the PLHIV life style, and improving adherence monitoring and health care services.

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          Most cited references21

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          Self-report measures of antiretroviral therapy adherence: A review with recommendations for HIV research and clinical management.

          A review of 77 studies employing self-report measures of antiretroviral adherence published 1/1996 through 8/2004 revealed great variety in adherence assessment item content, format, and response options. Recall periods ranged from 2 to 365 days (mode = 7 days). The most common cutoff for optimal adherence was 100% (21/48 studies, or 44%). In 27 of 34 recall periods (79%), self-reported adherence was associated with adherence as assessed with other indirect measures. Data from 57 of 67 recall periods (84%) indicated self-reported adherence was significantly associated with HIV-1 RNA viral load; in 16 of 26 (62%), it was associated with CD4 count. Clearly, the field would benefit from item standardization and a priori definitions and operationalizations of adherence. We conclude that even brief self-report measures of antiretroviral adherence can be robust, and recommend items and strategies for HIV research and clinical management.
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            A comparison study of multiple measures of adherence to HIV protease inhibitors.

            Poor adherence to HIV protease inhibitors may compromise the effectiveness of treatment. Few studies have compared methods for measuring adherence or have related adherence measures to a clinical outcome. To examine the relationship among a composite score of adherence, the three primary measures of adherence, and HIV virologic response. Longitudinal cohort study. Public HIV clinic. 108 HIV-infected adults receiving protease inhibitors or non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors who were monitored for 666 monthly intervals. Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS), pill count, and interview combined into a composite adherence score (CAS), and HIV viral load. Mean antiretroviral adherence differed by adherence measure (MEMS, 0.63; pill count, 0.83; interview, 0.93; and CAS, 0.76). Composite adherence score decreased significantly over time. Composite adherence score, MEMS values, pill values, and interview values were statistically significantly associated with achievement of an undetectable viral load within 6 months of initiating therapy. Composite adherence score showed the strongest predictive relationship (odds ratios for a 10% increase in adherence for CAS, MEMS, pill count, and interview, respectively, were 1.26 [95% CI, 1.16 to 1.37], 1.13 [CI, 1.06 to 1.21], 1.10 [CI, 1.02 to 1.19], and 1.35 [CI, 0.94 to 1.94]). Different measures applied to the same patient suggest different levels of adherence. Adherence may be underestimated by MEMS and overestimated by pill count and interview. A summary measure combining several measures is more strongly related to a clinical response, but more practical measurement methods are needed for clinical use.
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              Better physician-patient relationships are associated with higher reported adherence to antiretroviral therapy in patients with HIV infection.

              There is little evidence to support the widely accepted assertion that better physician-patient relationships result in higher rates of adherence with recommended therapies. To determine whether and which aspects of a better physician-patient relationship are associated with higher rates of adherence with antiretroviral therapies for persons with HIV infection. Cross-sectional analysis. Twenty-two outpatient HIV practices in a metropolitan area. Five hundred fifty-four patients with HIV infection taking antiretroviral medications. We measured adherence using a 4-item self-report scale (alpha= 0.75). We measured core aspects of physician-patient relationships using 6 previously tested scales (general communication, HIV-specific information, participatory decision making, overall satisfaction, willingness to recommend physician, and physician trust; alpha > 0.70 for all) and 1 new scale, adherence dialogue (alpha= 0.92). For adherence dialogue, patients rated their physician at understanding and solving problems with antiretroviral therapy regimens. Mean patient age was 42 years, 15% were female, 73% were white, and 57% reported gay or bisexual sexual contact as their primary HIV risk factor. In multivariable models that accounted for the clustering of patients within physicians' practices, 6 of the 7 physician-patient relationship quality variables were significantly (P < .05) associated with adherence. In all 7 models worse adherence was independently associated (P < .05) with lower age, not believing in the importance of antiretroviral therapy, and worse mental health. This study showed that multiple, mutable dimensions of the physician-patient relationship were associated with medication adherence in persons with HIV infection, suggesting that physician-patient relationship quality is a potentially important point of intervention to improve patients' medication adherence. In addition, our data suggest that it is critical to investigate and incorporate patients' belief systems about antiretroviral therapy into adherence discussions, and to identify and treat mental disorders.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                BMC Public Health
                BMC Public Health
                BMC Public Health
                BioMed Central
                1471-2458
                2013
                28 June 2013
                : 13
                : 617
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Faculty of Postgraduate studies, University of Health Sciences, Vientiane, Lao PDR
                [2 ]Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Health Sciences, Vientiane, Lao PDR
                [3 ]Faculty of Public Health, KhoneKaen University, KhoneKaen, Thailand
                [4 ]Faculty of Nursing, KhoneKaen University, KhoneKaen, Thailand
                [5 ]University of Queensland, School of Population Health, Australian Centre of International and Tropical Health, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
                Article
                1471-2458-13-617
                10.1186/1471-2458-13-617
                3707741
                23809431
                ebeecee8-8e37-4055-adf2-c7ed7304678b
                Copyright ©2013 Hansana et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 29 November 2012
                : 24 June 2013
                Categories
                Research Article

                Public health
                antiretroviral therapy,adherence,plwhiv,self-report,lao pdr
                Public health
                antiretroviral therapy, adherence, plwhiv, self-report, lao pdr

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