Assessing self-reported adherence to HIV therapy by questionnaire: the SERAD (Self-Reported Adherence) Study

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Clinical pharmacology
• Public health

Background:

• Adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is crucial for managing HIV infection and improving patient outcomes.
• Current methods for assessing treatment adherence have limitations, highlighting the need for more effective and user-friendly tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate the SERAD (Self-Reported Adherence) questionnaire as a novel instrument for measuring HAART adherence.
• To compare the performance of the SERAD questionnaire against established adherence assessment methods.

Main Methods:

• Two prospective, observational, longitudinal studies (pilot and multicenter) involving 530 HIV-infected outpatients.
• Comparison of the SERAD questionnaire with pill count, electronic monitoring, and plasma drug monitoring for HAART adherence assessment.
• Statistical analysis using Pearson's correlations and Bland and Altman's method to evaluate agreement between methods.

Main Results:

• The SERAD questionnaire demonstrated good feasibility, ease of use, and significant validity in assessing HAART adherence.
• Adequate agreement was observed between the SERAD questionnaire and other methods, particularly at high adherence levels.
• Discrepancies between methods increased as adherence levels decreased.

Conclusions:

• The SERAD questionnaire is a feasible, useful, and reliable instrument for obtaining qualitative and quantitative information on HAART adherence in HIV-infected patients.
• This self-reported tool simplifies adherence measurement, aiding in patient management and treatment optimization.