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Adherence to HAART therapy measured by electronic monitoring in newly diagnosed HIV patients in Botswana.

ABSTRACT: AIMS: This pilot study was designed to evaluate the feasibility and benefits of electronic adherence monitoring of antiretroviral medications in HIV patients who recently started Highly Active Anti Retroviral Therapy (HAART) in Francistown, Botswana and to compare this with self-reporting. METHODS: Dosing histories were compiled electronically using Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) monitors to evaluate adherence to prescribed therapies. Thirty patients enrolled in the antiretroviral treatment program were monitored over 6 weeks. These patients were all antiretroviral (ARV) naïve. After each visit (mean three times) to the pharmacy, the data compiled by the monitors were downloaded. Electronic monitoring of adherence was compared to patient self-reports of adherence. RESULTS: The mean individual medication adherence level measured with the electronic device was 85% (range 21-100%). The mean adherence level measured by means of self-reporting was 98% (range 70-100%). Medication prescribed on a once-a-day dose base was associated with a higher adherence level (97.9% for efavirenz) compared with a twice-a-day regimen (88.4% for Lamivudine/Zidovudine). CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible to assess treatment adherence of patients living in a low resource setting on HAART by using electronic monitors. Adherence, even in the early stages of treatment, appears to be insufficient in some patients and may be below the level required for continuous inhibition of viral replication. This approach may lead to improved targeting of counselling about their medication intake of such patients in order to prevent occurrence of resistant viral strains due to inadequate inhibition of viral replication. In this pilot study a significant difference between the data recorded through the electronic monitors and those provided by self-reporting was observed.

SUBMITTER: Vriesendorp R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2071959 | biostudies-other | 2007 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:Levels of adherence to HIV treatment are lower among adolescents compared with older and younger individuals receiving similar therapies. We purposely sampled the most and least adherent adolescents from a 300-adolescent longitudinal HIV treatment adherence study in Gaborone, Botswana. Multiple objective and subjective measures of adherence were available and study participants were selected based on sustained patterns of either excellent or poor adherence over a one-year period. Focus group discussions (FGD) and in-depth interviews (IDI) were conducted with the adolescents and a subset of their caregivers with the goal of revealing barriers and facilitators of adherence. Focus groups were segregated by adherence classification of the participants. Following coding of transcripts, matrices were developed based on participants' adherence classifications in order to clarify differences in themes generated by individuals with different adherence characteristics. 47 adolescents and 25 adults were included. The non-adherent adolescents were older than the adherent adolescents (median age 18 years (IQR 16-19) vs. 14 years (IQR 12-15 years)), with median time on treatment near 10 years in both groups. Interference with daily activities, concerns about stigma and discrimination, side effects, denial of HIV status, and food insecurity arose as challenges to adherence among both those who were consistently adherent and those who were poorly-adherent to their medications. Low outcome expectancy, treatment fatigue, mental health and substance use problems, and mismatches between desired and received social support were discussed only among poorly adherent adolescents and their caregivers. Challenges raised only among adolescents and caregivers in the non-adherent groups are hypothesis-generating, identifying areas that may have a greater contribution to poor outcomes than challenges faced by both adherent and non-adherent adolescents. The contribution of these factors to poor outcomes should be explored in future studies.

Project description:Context:In the general population, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol efflux capacity (HCEC) relates inversely to incident cardiovascular events. Previous studies have suggested that HCEC is decreased in HIV and that antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation might improve HCEC. Objective:To evaluate HCEC in the context of ART initiation and immune activation in HIV. Design and Outcome Measures:Baseline HCEC from 10 ART-naive HIV-infected males and 12 prospectively matched non-HIV-infected males were analyzed. In the HIV cohort, HCEC 6 months after elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (E/C/F/TDF) therapy was evaluated. HCEC served as the primary outcome and was measured by the ability of J774 mouse macrophages to efflux cholesterol. Our ex vivo assay used two cholesterol acceptors [apolipoprotein B (apoB)-depleted sera or purified HDL] and modulation of cellular efflux pathways using a liver X receptor (LXR) agonist. Results:The median age was 34 years [interquartile range (IQR), 27 to 51], and baseline HDL was 46 mg/dL (IQR, 38 to 61). HCEC was significantly greater in the non-HIV-infected subjects than in the HIV-infected subjects at baseline. HCEC, assessed using apoB-depleted sera, significantly increased after ART (no LXR agonist, baseline: median, 8.1%; IQR, 7.0% to 11.9%; after ART: median, 12.9%; IQR, 10.4% to 21.1%; P = 0.006; LXR agonist, baseline, 1.3% ± 1.3%; after ART, 2.5% ± 1.0%; P = 0.02), although not to the levels in the non-HIV-infected subjects (no LXR agonist: median, 14.9%; IQR, 11.5% to 19.1%; LXR agonist: 5.8% ± 1.3%). HCEC, assessed using purified HDL, did not significantly increase after ART. The change in HCEC with ART related inversely to the change in the percentage of CD14-CD16+ (nonclassical) monocytes (? = -0.74, P = 0.04) and directly to the change in the percentage of CD14+CD16- (classical) monocytes (? = 0.72, P = 0.045). Conclusions:Our data suggest improvement of HCEC with E/C/F/TDF and a relationship between the ART-induced decrease in immune activation and ART-induced improvement in HCEC.

Project description:BACKGROUND:High, sustained adherence to HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) is critical for achieving viral suppression, which in turn leads to important individual health benefits and reduced secondary viral transmission. Electronic adherence monitors record a date-and-time stamp with each opening as a proxy for pill-taking behavior. These monitors can be combined with interventions (eg, data-informed adherence counseling, SMS-based adherence support, and/or alarms) and have been shown to improve adherence in multiple settings. Their use, however, has largely been limited to the research context. OBJECTIVE:The goal of the research was to use the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to understand factors relevant for implementing a low-cost electronic adherence monitor and associated interventions for routine HIV clinical care in Uganda. METHODS:We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with health care administrators, clinicians, and ART clients about likes and dislikes of the features and functions of electronic adherence monitors and associated interventions, their potential to influence HIV care, suggestions on how to measure their value, and recommendations for their use in routine care. We used an inductive, content analysis approach to understand participant perspectives, identifying aspects of CFIR most relevant to technology implementation in this setting. RESULTS:We interviewed 34 health care administrators/clinicians and 15 ART clients. Participants largely saw the monitors and associated interventions as favorable and beneficial for supporting adherence and improving clinical outcomes through efficient, differentiated care. Relevant outside factors included structural determinants of health, international norms around supporting adherence, and limited funding that necessitates careful assessment of costs and benefits. Within the clinic, the adherence data were felt likely to improve the quality of counseling and thereby morale, as well as increase the efficiency of care delivery. Existing infrastructure and care expenditures and the need for proper training were other noted considerations. At the individual level, the desire for good health and a welcomed pressure to adhere favored uptake of the monitors, although some participants were concerned with clients not using the monitors as planned and the influence of poverty, stigma, and need for privacy. Finally, participants felt that decisions around the implementation process would have to come from the Ministry of Health and other funders and would be influenced by sustainability of the technology and the target population for its use. Coordination across the health care system would be important for implementation. CONCLUSIONS:Low-cost electronic adherence monitoring combined with data-informed counseling, SMS-based support, and/or alarms have potential for use in routine HIV care in Uganda. Key metrics of successful implementation will include their impact on efficiency of care delivery and clinical outcomes with careful attention paid to factors such as stigma and cost. Further theory-driven implementation science efforts will be needed to move promising technology from research into clinical care. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03825952; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03825952.

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Adherence to HAART therapy measured by electronic monitoring in newly diagnosed HIV patients in Botswana.

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