Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 25, 2026
23:56
Comprehensive & Cost Effective Laboratory Monitoring of HIV/AIDS: an African Role Model
Published on: October 31, 2010
Adherence practices among people living with HIV
B D Adam1, E Maticka-Tyndale, J J Cohen
1Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9B 3P4. adam@uwindsor.ca
AIDS Care
|July 15, 2003
Summary
Patient adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) involves practical compromises. Individuals adapt medication schedules to daily life, with adherence influenced by work, drug properties, and personal narratives, not just patient deficits.
Area of Science:
- Medical Sociology
- Health Psychology
- Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Research
Background:
- Critiques patient-deficit models of adherence.
- Examines the integration of dosing schedules and food prohibitions with daily life structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze how individuals manage highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) dosing within their everyday lives.
- To identify barriers and facilitators influencing HAART adherence.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative interviews with 35 patients (31 men, 4 women) undergoing HAART.
- Analysis of patient narratives regarding medication timing, food restrictions, and daily routines.
Main Results:
- Doses linked to daily events are more consistently taken.
- Patients frequently modify official guidelines regarding timing and food consumption.
- Adherence is impacted by work schedules, medication properties, food prohibitions, and discrimination.
Conclusions:
- HAART adherence is a complex, situational outcome of compromises and personal decision-making.
- Autobiographical narratives and perceptions of drug effectiveness significantly shape adherence practices.
- Adherence is not solely a patient deficit but influenced by social and practical contexts.
Related Concept Videos
01:10Retrovirus Life Cycles
Retroviruses have a single-stranded RNA genome that undergoes a special form of replication. Once the retrovirus has entered the host cell, an enzyme called reverse transcriptase synthesizes double-stranded DNA from the retroviral RNA genome. This DNA copy of the genome is then integrated into the host’s genome inside the nucleus via an enzyme called integrase. Consequently, the retroviral genome is transcribed into RNA whenever the host’s genome is transcribed, allowing the retrovirus to...
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
Essential infection prevention measures are based on the knowledge of the infection chain, the modes of transmission in healthcare settings, and the use of the best practices in all healthcare settings. Compulsory public reporting of healthcare-associated infection rates is needed to allow individuals and the community to make informed choices regarding selecting a healthcare facility.
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:26Standard Precaution
Standard precautions are the minimum infection control safeguards used while caring for all patients, irrespective of their disease condition. They help prevent the spread of common infectious microorganisms to healthcare workers, patients, and visitors in all healthcare settings.
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
01:06Legal Guidelines for Documentation
The legal guidelines for nursing documentation are essential for ensuring accurate, professional, and ethical recording of patient care. The guidelines are discussed here:
01:26Sexually Transmitted Infections
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are diseases transmitted primarily through unsafe sexual interactions. Bacteria, viruses, or parasites cause them and can result in severe health complications if untreated.ChlamydiaThe bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis is responsible for the disease Chlamydia, the most common STI in the United States. This peculiar pathogen requires human cells to reproduce, residing intracellularly. The initial infection often goes unnoticed because it typically does not...
01:28Amebiasis
Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite, is responsible for intestinal and extraintestinal amebiasis. Though a significant proportion of infections remain asymptomatic, approximately 50 million individuals annually are estimated to present with clinical disease, resulting in up to 100,000 deaths globally. The disease burden is disproportionately high in regions with lower socioeconomic status, such as parts of India, Africa, Mexico, and Latin America.Etiology and TransmissionThe infective...