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19:57
An Affordable HIV-1 Drug Resistance Monitoring Method for Resource Limited Settings
Published on: March 30, 2014
Practical and conceptual challenges in measuring antiretroviral adherence
Karina M Berg1, Julia H Arnsten
1Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York 10467, USA. kberg@montefiore.org
Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (1999)
|November 30, 2006
Summary
Accurate measurement of antiretroviral adherence is crucial for effective HIV treatment and prevention. This review examines current adherence measurement methods, highlighting challenges and recommending improvements for research and clinical practice.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Accurate antiretroviral adherence measurement is vital for intervention effectiveness and preventing viral resistance.
- Medication adherence is a complex behavior with significant measurement challenges across diseases.
- Existing adherence measures have limitations, hindering progress in HIV adherence research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current state of antiretroviral adherence measurement science.
- To discuss the pros and cons of common adherence measurement methods.
- To propose future directions for improving adherence measurement in HIV care and research.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of adherence measurement methods in antiretroviral therapy.
- Analysis of self-report, electronic drug monitoring, and pill count limitations.
- Exploration of combining data from multiple adherence measures.
Main Results:
- Self-report is widely used but lacks evidence-based standards.
- Objective measures like electronic monitoring have poorly understood error sources.
- Combining diverse adherence measures requires further research.
Conclusions:
- Improved antiretroviral adherence measurement is needed for better HIV management.
- Developing standards for self-report and understanding errors in objective measures are critical.
- Research into combined adherence measurement strategies should be prioritized.
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