Acceptance-based behavior therapy to promote HIV medication adherence

A significant number of adults with HIV in the USA do not maintain adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) at adequate levels. Although traditional cognitive behavioral interventions have shown promise in promoting HAART adherence, acceptance-based behavior therapy (ABBT) may be particularly useful in this population. ABBT has the potential to overcome common avoidance-based barriers associated with poor adherence, including denial of various illness-related factors and avoidance of stigmatization. We describe the rationale for promoting psychological and behavioral acceptance in HIV-positive populations; outline an ABBT to promote HAART adherence targeting primary care patients from urban, minority, low socioeconomic backgrounds; and report preliminary qualitative observations of treatment feasibility and acceptability.     

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy in pregnancy

Successful interventions to prevent congenital HIV require adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in pregnancy from mothers and agreement with other interventions including mode of delivery and infant testing. We sought to audit adherence support offered antenatally, adherence with HAART, recommendations for delivery and infant testing in women receiving HIV care at our unit and delivering a child in 2004 and 2005. Of the 32 women identified, an adherence discussion was conducted when commencing therapy in 87% and subsequent visits in 77%. Five women were non-adherent with HAART, one disagreed with recommendations for delivery, and attendance at initial post-natal tests was documented in 61%. In general, the British HIV Association guidelines with regard to adherence are followed. Although numbers in this cohort are small, age, ethnicity and pre-pregnancy HIV diagnosis did not seem to affect adherence, but being therapy na?ve and poor adherence may predict non-attendance at infant follow-up.     

The impact of illicit drug use and substance abuse treatment on adherence to HAART

High levels of adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) are essential for virologic suppression and longer survival in patients with HIV. We examined the effects of substance abuse treatment, current versus former substance use, and hazardous/binge drinking on adherence to HAART. During 2003, 659 HIV patients on HAART in primary care were interviewed. Adherence was defined as > or =95% adherence to all antiretroviral medications. Current substance users used illicit drugs and/or hazardous/binge drinking within the past six months, while former users had not used substances for at least six months. Logistic regression analyses of adherence to HAART included demographic, clinical and substance abuse variables. Sixty-seven percent of the sample reported 95% adherence or greater. However, current users (60%) were significantly less likely to be adherent than former (68%) or never users (77%). In multivariate analysis, former users in substance abuse treatment were as adherent to HAART as never users (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR)=0.82; p>0.5). In contrast, former users who had not received recent substance abuse treatment were significantly less adherent than never users (AOR=0.61; p=0.05). Current substance users were significantly less adherent than never users, regardless of substance abuse treatment (p<0.01). Substance abuse treatment interacts with current versus former drug use status to affect adherence to HAART. Substance abuse treatment may improve HAART adherence for former substance users.     

Evaluating the relationship between adherence to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) and social and clinical characteristics in Chinese patients with HIV

This study investigated the adherence rate of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) in patients with HIV infection in China. The research also examined the adherence rate related to demographic and clinical characteristics with these patients. A total of 516 patients with HIV infection were enrolled from the Wuhan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Patients reported their one-month HAART adherence rate, as well as their demographic and clinical characteristics. Using the ≥95% HAART one-month adherence rate, the patients were divided into an adherence group and a non-adherence group. The two groups were compared to identify differences. Compared to the adherence group (92.2%), the non-adherence patients (7.8%) experienced greater perceived stigma as measured by Berger Stigma Scale, and tended to have more homosexual sexual partners. Logistic regression analyses revealed that having less confidence in HAART treatment (p?=?0.04, OR?=?0.2, 95% CI?=?0.03–0.9) and more homosexual sex partners (p?=?0.049, OR?=?1.5, 95% CI?=?1.0–2.3) were independently associated with HAART non-adherence. More attention should be paid to patients with HIV infection who did not adherence to HAART treatment. Regular screening and psychological and social support should be considered as an intervention with non-adherence patients living with HIV.     

Main partner factors associated with worse adherence to HAART among women in Baltimore, Maryland: a preliminary study

Compared to US men, US women have worse HAART and HIV health outcomes. The study examined main partner factors associated with women's HAART adherence. The community sample comprised 85% African-Americans; 63% had a main partner and 32% relied on their partner for emotional support. Adherence was highest (92%) among those without a main partner and lowest (57%) among those with an HIV seropositive main partner. In adjusted analysis, adherence was 75% less likely among women with an HIV seropositive main partner and 78% less likely among those relying on their partner for emotional support. Furthermore, HIV seropositive versus other serostatus main partners were most likely to provide medication taking assistance and to be preferred in helping participants deal with HIV, yet were no more likely to be nominated as the most helpful to them. Findings reveal women's perceived unmet support needs from HIV seropositive main partners in this population and the need for interventions to promote their HAART adherence. Seroconcordant couples-focused intervention that enhances mutual support of HAART adherence may be an effective approach to improving women's HAART adherence and reducing US gender disparities in HIV health outcomes.     

Gender moderates the influence of psychosocial factors and drug use on HAART adherence in the context of HIV and childhood sexual abuse

This study aimed to examine gender moderation within a stress and coping model of HIV medication adherence in adults with a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Sequelae of CSA, including negative coping, psychological distress, and drug use, interfere with adherence to highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). These obstacles to adherence are likely moderated by gender. Gender may particularly influence the mediational effect of drug use on adherence. Participants included 206 adults living with HIV/AIDS and CSA. Categorical/continuous variable methodology in a structural equation modeling framework was used to test a multigroup model with women and men. Gender significantly moderated several effects in the model. For women, the effect of psychological distress on HAART adherence was mediated by drug use and the effect of drug use on viral load was mediated by HAART adherence. Among men, drug use did not significantly impact adherence. Since gender appears to moderate the effect of drug use on medication adherence, it is particularly important to address drug use within the context of HIV disease management in women with a history of CSA. Further, interventions to increase HAART adherence should take trauma history, gender, and drug abuse into account when assessing efficacy.     

Strategies for optimizing adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy: lessons from research and clinical practice.

Successful treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) requires that patients maintain nearly perfect adherence to the prescribed regimen. Suboptimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy is clearly the most common cause of virologic failure of HAART regimens. Given the critical role of adherence in successful antiretroviral therapy, it is essential that providers of care for patients with HIV infection have a strategy that proactively assists and supports their patients' efforts to adhere to medication regimens. This review endeavors to provide a clinically focused approach to optimizing adherence of patients to HAART.     

Alcohol use and non‐adherence to antiretroviral therapy in HIV‐infected patients in West Africa

Aim To investigate the association between alcohol use and adherence to highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐infected patients in subSaharan Africa. Design and setting Cross‐sectional survey conducted in eight adult HIV treatment centres from Benin, Côte d'Ivoire and Mali. Participants and measurements During a 4‐week period, health workers administered the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test to HAART‐treated patients and assessed treatment adherence using the AIDS Clinical Trials Group follow‐up questionnaire. Findings A total of 2920 patients were enrolled with a median age of 38 years [interquartile range (IQR) 32–45 years] and a median duration on HAART of 3 years (IQR 1–4 years). Overall, 91.8% of patients were identified as adherent to HAART. Non‐adherence was associated with current drinking [odds ratio (OR) 1.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1–2.0], hazardous drinking (OR 4.7; 95% CI 2.6–8.6) and was associated inversely with a history of counselling on adherence (OR 0.7; 95% CI 0.5–0.9). Conclusions Alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking is associated with non‐adherence to HAART among HIV‐infected patients from West Africa. Adult HIV care programmes should integrate programmes to reduce hazardous and harmful drinking.     

Motivational interviewing as a behavioral intervention to increase HAART adherence in patients who are HIV-positive: a systematic review of the literature

As HIV infection rates continue to rise, more and more people are faced with a complex, life-altering highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimen. With some researchers reporting as few as 50-70% of patients achieving adherence in the first six months of a HAART regimen, many behavioral interventions to increase HAART adherence have been examined. One such intervention, motivational interviewing (MI), has shown promise in previous studies and reviews as a possible successful intervention. Researchers conducted a review of the literature to identify studies analyzing the effect of a MI intervention on HAART adherence, with the objectives of examining this relationship and identifying gaps in the literature. To draw definitive conclusions about these questions and to maintain high methodological quality in the search, researchers used the Cochrane method for systematic reviews while conducting this review. Five studies were retained for review from the search and all were RCTs. Sample sizes ranged from 141 to 326 patients. Three of the five studies showed a significant increase in adherence rates, two studies reported a significant decrease in viral load, and one study showed an increase in CD4 cell count as a result of the intervention. A lack of a universally accepted definition of adherence and large gaps in the areas of humanistic and economic outcomes in the literature creates challenges in comparing improvements in HAART adherence across studies. Despite these challenges in comparison, MI appears to be a promising intervention to improve HAART adherence in HIV-positive individuals, but further studies of rigorous methodological quality are needed to fully understand the effect of this intervention.     

Adherence to HAART regimens

The problem of inadequate adherence to prescribed highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) drug regimens to treat HIV infection and AIDS is ubiquitous. Adherence can be inadequate despite both provider and patient understanding of the consequences of nonadherence. Successful long-term treatment of HIV/AIDS requires at least 95% adherence to HAART in order to prevent emergence of drug-resistant HIV variants that lead to regimen failure and limit options for future therapy. Despite the prevalence of inadequate adherence, many patients succeed, and HAART has transformed HIV infection into a chronic illness increasingly managed in primary care. The barriers to adherence observed in HIV treatment resemble barriers to the successful treatment of other chronic diseases: regimen complexity, side effects resulting in poor tolerability, patient lifestyle factors, and patient-provider relationships. Treatment of HIV infection has shown that patient-provider collaboration can result in the selection of a lifestyle-tailored regimen characterized by convenient dosing, low pill burden, and tolerable side effects that enhances adherence, effectiveness, and the patient's willingness to remain on anti-HIV therapy long term. This review focuses on the current understanding of adherence reporting, improvement of adherence, and, hence, improvement of treatment outcomes in HIV infection and AIDS.     

Variations in Patterns of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) Adherence

Strict adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is necessary for successful suppression of HIV replication. A large number of individuals are not adherent, however, and the reasons for non-adherence are varied and complex. We utilized cluster analyses to identify subgroups of adherers in a sample of 222 HIV positive individuals whose HAART use was electronically monitored. Five distinct subgroups were identified, with characteristic variations across the week and over the course of the 4-week study. Additional comparisons of demographic and behavioral variables found the worst adherers to have higher rates of substance use, and that a group with higher rates of cognitive impairment had a consistent drop in adherence during the weekends. In addition, the group with the best adherence had more individuals over the age of 50 years. The results of the current study indicate that distinct subgroups of adherers may exist, and suggest that interventions designed to improve adherence can be designed to accommodate this variability in behavior.     

接受抗病毒治疗HIV/AIDS病人的依从性影响因素及干预对策

目的通过分析影响接受高效抗反转录病毒治疗（HAART）的艾滋病病人服药依从性的诸多因素,探讨提高病人服药依从性的对策,将其运用于实际工作中,以此提高HAART病人服药依从性,提高疗效。方法随机抽取HAART病人为研究对象,对在治的及已经终止治疗但仍存活的病人进行问卷调查,对已经死亡的病人逐一分析死亡原因,使用SPSS 16对数据进行统计分析,并采用Logistic回归方法分析数据。结果共随机抽取300名HAART病人,其中150人因各种原因已经终止治疗,死亡48人;150名在治的及102名已经终止治疗但仍存活的病人接受了问卷调查,有有效数据的195人进入统计。同伴教育、不良反应的出现、偷吸毒品、迁居、CD4淋巴细胞计数的变化、服药过程中喝酒以及家人的关怀和支持等7个因素,最终进入回归模型的变量分析,其回归系数Wald检验结果P≤0.069,按进入水准a=0.05,剔除水准b=0.10,可认为7个变量的回归系数均有统计学意义。其中不良反应的出现、偷吸毒品、患者迁居和在服药过程中喝酒等变量,与患者的服药依从性呈负相关,而同伴教育、对CD4淋巴细胞计数变化的关注、家人的关怀和支持以及艾滋病病毒（HIV）相关疾病导致的死亡等因素,与患者服药依从性呈正相关。结论有效提高患者服药依从性的措施,包括聘请同伴教员,严格按要求采集标本,提高医务人员诊疗水平,组织家属培训班和小组活动,设立美沙酮治疗门诊及消除歧视等,并将此运用于HAART治疗管理中,从一定程度上提高了病人的服药依从性,进而提高了HAART的疗效。     

Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Among HIV-Infected Drug Users: A Meta-Analysis

We conducted a meta-analysis of studies assessing adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and a qualitative systematic review of factors associated with better HAART outcomes among HIV+ drug users (DU). Thirty-eight studies were considered, which analyzed 14,960 patients (11,394 HIV+ DU, 76.2%). Overall adherence (pooled percent of DU classified as adherent in each study) was 0.60 (95% CI: 0.52–0.68), similar to levels identified by studies conducted with HIV+ patients who are not drug users. Time frame used to measure adherence was an independent predictor of inter-study heterogeneity. The systematic review identified better HAART outcomes among former DU, those with less severe psychiatric conditions, those receiving opioid substitution therapy and/or psychosocial support. Patients initiating HAART with lower viral load and higher CD4 counts, and those without co-infections also had better treatment outcomes. Our findings suggest that HIV+ DU tend to be inappropriately assumed to be less adherent and unlikely to achieve desirable treatment outcomes, when compared to their non-DU cohort.     

Pilot feasibility study of Heart2HAART: a smartphone application to assist with adherence among substance users living with HIV

Background: Smartphones with programmable apps may offer innovative interactive interventions for improving adherence among people living with HIV with substance use problems. Methods: This pilot randomized controlled trial sought to primarily determine the usability and feasibility of using a smartphone-based intervention called Heart2HAART as an adjunct to directly observed treatment with adherence counseling compared to directly observed treatment with adherence counseling alone among those with HIV and a history of substance use over a three-month time frame. Participants in the Heart2HAART condition completed an additional survey on usability and acceptability. Adherence was measured using unannounced pill counts assessed via a phone call. Results: Twenty-eight participants were randomized to receive Heart2HAART (n?=?19) or control (n?=?9). All were receiving either weekly (n?=?9) or daily (n?=?19) observed treatment. Among those randomized to Heart2HAART, 63.2% reported no difficulty using the Heart2HAART smartphone application and 94.7% responded that the medication reminders did not interfere negatively with their activities. On average participants used Heart2HAART application 56.8 times over the three-month trial. In analyses adjusting for age, there was no difference in adherence to HAART medication between the Heart2HAART and control group as evaluated by the random pill count assessment (P?=?.29). Conclusions: Heart2HAART was feasible to use during a three-month pilot trial. Future studies may evaluate a more tailored approach, with more robust contingency management.     

Can community health workers improve adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy in the USA? A review of the literature

Objectives

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has transformed HIV infection into a manageable chronic illness, yet AIDS mortality among ethnic minorities persists in the USA. HAART nonadherence is associated with increased HIV viral load, low CD4 cell count and racial disparities in HIV outcomes. While there is no universal consensus on how to improve medical adherence in HIV‐positive populations, the community health worker (CHW) model is emerging as an effective strategy to overcome barriers to HAART adherence. Although utilized in international settings, there is little evidence regarding the effects of CHWs on HIV outcomes in the USA.

Methods

We performed a comprehensive search from May 2010 to November 2010 to identify studies carried out in the USA that utilized CHWs to improve HAART adherence and measured HIV viral loads and CD4 cell counts to assess intervention effects. Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed for this article. All studies reported clinical HIV outcomes.

Results

Interventions that lasted at least 24 weeks, provided frequent contact with participants, and focused on medication management were associated with improved HAART adherence, as indicated by reduced HIV viral load and increased CD4 cell count.

Conclusions

Compared with current standards of care, CHW programmes may offer a practical and cost‐effective alternative to improve HAART adherence, which may lead to reduced HIV viral load and increased CD4 cell counts among HIV‐positive populations in the USA.     

Management of HIV infection in patients with substance use problems

Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has greatly reduced overall morbidity and mortality in patients with HIV, patients with substance use issues have been less likely than other patients with HIV to realize these benefits. Social obstacles (eg, lack of housing, minimal social support), and medical comorbidities (eg, mental illness, hepatitis), complicate the management of this group of patients. Not only are drug and alcohol users less likely to access medical care, initiation of HAART may be delayed due to concerns for adherence and the potential development of drug resistance. Ultimately, a multidisciplinary comprehensive approach is needed to both engage and retain this population in care. Through the integration of case management, addiction therapy, and medical treatment of HIV, we may be able to improve outcomes for patients with HIV and addiction.