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ABSTRACT: 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.
SUBMITTER: Chatha ZF
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7684945 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Chatha Zeenat Fatima ZF Rashid Usman U Olsen Sharon S Din Fakhar Ud FU Khan Amjad A Nawaz Komal K Gan Siew Hua SH Khan Gul Majid GM
BMC infectious diseases 20201123 1
<h4>Background</h4>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).<h4>Methods</h4>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) ...[more]