July 24, 2006 (AIDSmeds)—Perfect
adherence – taking medications as prescribed without missing doses – is
considered to be one of the most important factors in terms of reducing
the risk of HIV drug resistance
and maximizing the life-saving benefits of treatment. But for many
HIV-positive people taking daily doses, adherence can be a major
challenge. To meet this challenge head on, researchers first needed to
figure out the most common reasons for missed doses. And according to
the results of one recent study, the answer was clear enough – “simply
forgot” was the most frequently stated mea culpa for missed doses.
The study, conducted in Denmark and reported in the July issue of HIV Medicine,
compared self-reported reasons for missed doses between two groups of
HIV-positive patients. The first group involved patients who were
frequently missing doses; the second group involved patients who had
good treatment adherence and were only missing medication doses on
occasion.
Adherence questionnaires were given to 1,126
people participating in the Danish HIV Cohort Study and had been on
anti-HIV treatment for at least six months. During the year (July 2002
to June 2003) in which the study was conducted, the researchers
received completed questionnaires from a total of 840 patients. Lower
adherence, according to the questionnaire designed by the U.S.-based
AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), was defined as reporting a missed
dose within the four days preceding the completion of the survey.
In
both groups of patients the three most frequently reported reasons for
missed doses were “simply forgot,” “were away from home,” and “had a
change in daily routines.”
Based on the results of this study, the researchers concluded that while HIV-positive patients may
vary in their levels of adherence – some are better at taking their medications as prescribed compared to others – the
reasons behind reduced adherence are similar in all patients studied.
In turn, the authors suggest, developing strategies to remind patients
when their dose is due should help with the challenges associated with
long-term daily treatment.
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