Novel methods to estimate antiretroviral adherence: protocol for a longitudinal study.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Public Health
• Clinical Research Methods

Background:

• Current methods for assessing antiretroviral (ARV) adherence, such as self-report, are often subjective, biased, and inaccurate.
• There is a need for gold-standard, objective, and feasible methods to measure ARV adherence in diverse clinical and research settings.
• Existing adherence assessment tools may be resource-intensive, limiting their widespread application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of innovative, remote methods for estimating ARV adherence.
• To assess the correlation between novel adherence metrics and traditional self-reported adherence.
• To identify potential improvements in ARV adherence monitoring with reduced time and financial resource requirements.

Main Methods:

• A 6-month pilot study utilizing remotely collected data via text-messaged photographs and mailed hair samples.
• Participants submitted photos of pharmacy refills and pills for refill-based and pill count-based adherence.
• Home-collected hair samples assessed ARV concentration for pharmacologic-based adherence; acceptability was measured via surveys and interviews.

Main Results:

• Feasibility metrics included successful receipt of hair samples and participant responses to text message prompts.
• Acceptability was assessed through quantitative surveys and qualitative exit interviews.
• The study protocol aimed to establish the relationships between three novel adherence metrics and self-reported adherence.

Conclusions:

• Novel, remote adherence assessment methods are being evaluated for feasibility and acceptability in ARV adherence research.
• This research protocol addresses limitations of subjective self-reported adherence data.
• Successful implementation could lead to more accurate and innovative metrics for ARV adherence, improving patient outcomes.