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Published on: November 9, 2013
Treatment adherence improves outcomes and manages costs
1University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA.
Insights
Achieving high adherence (95%+) to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is crucial for HIV treatment success. Strategies addressing patients, providers, and regimens, like dedicated treatment adherence committees (TACs), are vital for improving outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Pharmacology
- Public Health
Background:
- Chronic disease treatment adherence averages 50%, but HIV requires 95%+ adherence for optimal outcomes.
- Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is effective and cost-effective, reducing hospitalizations and improving quality of life.
- Real-world adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) often falls short of clinical trial performance, necessitating adherence strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the critical need for high adherence in HIV treatment with HAART.
- To explore strategies for improving patient adherence to complex antiretroviral regimens.
- To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of interventions like treatment adherence committees (TACs) in managed care.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on chronic disease and HIV treatment adherence.
- Analysis of cost-effectiveness data for HAART, including drug costs versus healthcare utilization savings.
- Discussion of multidisciplinary approaches to enhance patient adherence to antiretroviral therapy.
Main Results:
- HAART significantly improves outcomes and quality of life, with cost savings from reduced hospitalizations.
- High adherence (95%+) is essential for HAART efficacy and preventing antiretroviral resistance.
- Dedicated TACs show promise as effective components of adherence strategies in managed care settings.
Conclusions:
- Improving adherence to HAART is paramount for successful long-term HIV management.
- Multifaceted strategies targeting patients, providers, and treatment regimens are necessary.
- TACs represent a potentially cost-effective addition to managed care for enhancing HIV treatment adherence.
Abstract:
Our experience with other chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, and asthma, has shown that adherence to treatment over time is about 50%. In HIV treatment, a significantly higher rate of adherence (i.e., 95% or greater) is required to achieve good outcomes. HAART is effective and cost-effective. Even with the high cost of antiretroviral drugs, the decrease in hospital utilization in addition to improved quality of life with HAART more than offsets the increased cost of drugs. This cost shifting from hospital utilization has been shown to result in a decrease of total monthly costs of care in many settings. In addition to decreased mortality and cost savings from decreased hospital utilization associated with HAART, the appropriate use of expensive antiretroviral drugs and the resultant reduction in antiretroviral resistance can save lives and money over the long term. However, we know that the performance of drugs in clinical trials is not always borne out in today's real world of ambulatory HIV care, underscoring the need for treatment adherence strategies in the HAART era. Our understanding of what improves adherence to antiretroviral treatment is still incomplete. However, there are a number of approaches that address the patient, the provider/multidisciplinary team, and the treatment regimen itself. The dedicated TAC, while not the only solution, has been shown to be an effective team member and a solution worth considering in managed care settings. When added to the costs of today's care, this team member should still prove cost-effective in the final analysis.
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