Exploring expert and patient opinions and recommendations regarding anti-retroviral treatment compliance
Date
2007-02-15T12:51:37Z
Authors
Frank, Janice Meryl
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Abstract
The recent introduction of antiretroviral treatment (ART) to the public health sector has
meant that for millions of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-positive patients this
deadly disease has been transformed into a chronic condition. There has been much
research done internationally on adherence to ART but in South Africa there has been
little investigation in this area. This study aimed to bridge this gap by exploring expert
and patient opinions and recommendatio ns regarding adherence to antiretroviral
medication. To attain this, four experts and seven patients were interviewed using a semistructured
interview schedule. The experts had worked within the HIV field for at least
two years while the patients had been chosen from public antiretroviral roll-out
programmes and had been on ART for at least six months. These interviews were audio
recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions were then explored for themes using
thematic content analysis. These themes were categorised and discussed under four broad
categories: patients’ perceptions of barriers to adherence, patients’ recommendations for
improving adherence, experts’ perceptions of barriers to adherence and experts’
recommendations for improving adherence.
Description
Student Number : 9803027N -
MA research report -
School of Psychology -
Faculty of Humanities
Keywords
HIV/AIDS, adherence, compliance antiretroviral medication