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Published on: March 30, 2014
Pharmacist-led counselling intervention to improve antiretroviral drug adherence in Pakistan: a randomized controlled
Zeenat Fatima Chatha1, Usman Rashid2, Sharon Olsen2
1Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Background:
Pakistan is facing a growing population of people living with human immunodeficiency (HIV). In this randomized controlled trial, we investigate if a pharmacist-led intervention can increase adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV (PLWH).
Methods:
Adults with HIV, who have been taking ART for more than 3 months were randomly assigned to receive either a pharmacist-led intervention or their usual care. Measures of adherence were collected at 1) baseline 2) just prior to delivery of intervention and 3) 8 weeks later. The primary outcomes were CD4 cell count and self-reported adherence measured with the AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) questionnaire.
Results:
Post-intervention, the intervention group showed a statistically significant increase in CD4 cell counts as compared to the usual care group (p = 0.0054). In addition, adherence improved in the intervention group, with participants being 5.96 times more likely to report having not missed their medication for longer periods of time (p = 0.0086) while participants in the intervention group were 7.74 times more likely to report missing their ART less frequently (p < 0.0001).
Conclusions:
The findings support the improvement in ART adherence and HIV management.
Trial Registration:
The trial is registered with Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ( ACTRN12618001882213 ). Registered 20 November 2018.
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