Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Among Women With HIV Infection

2002; Elsevier BV; Volume: 31; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1552-6909.2002.tb00070.x

1552-6909

Judith A. Erlen, Susan M. Sereika, Robert L. Cook, Susan C. Hunt,

LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy

Objective The overall objective of this secondary analysis was to examine self-reported adherence to antiretroviral therapy in a sample of women with HIV. Design The primary study used survey methodology. Setting The setting included a university-based HIV/AIDS clinic in southwestern Pennsylvania and a community-based HIV/AIDS clinic in eastern Pennsylvania. Participants Sixty-one women infected with HIV who were taking protease inhibitors. Main Outcome Measure Self-reported adherence was based on responses to two questions: whether the person had missed a dose of her medications within the past 24 hours, and how many pills the person had taken on time as scheduled (none, very few, a few, about half, most, nearly all, all of them). Results Adherence ranged from 60% to 75%. Two thirds (65.6%) of the sample thought that their medications were helping them; three fifths (57.4%) thought that it was dangerous to miss a dose of their medications. Conclusions Adherence in this sample was less than perfect, suggesting the need to develop, implement, and test interventions to promote better adherence to antiretroviral medication regimens among women with HIV. The overall objective of this secondary analysis was to examine self-reported adherence to antiretroviral therapy in a sample of women with HIV. The primary study used survey methodology. The setting included a university-based HIV/AIDS clinic in southwestern Pennsylvania and a community-based HIV/AIDS clinic in eastern Pennsylvania. Sixty-one women infected with HIV who were taking protease inhibitors. Self-reported adherence was based on responses to two questions: whether the person had missed a dose of her medications within the past 24 hours, and how many pills the person had taken on time as scheduled (none, very few, a few, about half, most, nearly all, all of them). Adherence ranged from 60% to 75%. Two thirds (65.6%) of the sample thought that their medications were helping them; three fifths (57.4%) thought that it was dangerous to miss a dose of their medications. Adherence in this sample was less than perfect, suggesting the need to develop, implement, and test interventions to promote better adherence to antiretroviral medication regimens among women with HIV.