The Study of Antiretroviral Drug Adherence Activities Providing for PLWHA

Abstract

This study was qualitative research on activities which strengthened antiretroviral drug adherence for PLWHA as provided by health care personnel working in hospitals together with people living with HIV/AIDS groups in North-East Region and Central Region (2 provinces/ region) during January – December 2006. In each province, health care personnel and people living with HIV/AIDS volunteer working in 2 targeting tertiary hospitals and 2 secondary hospitals were targeted population. The study found that activities arranged by health care personnel and people living with HIV/AIDS group consisted of counseling for care and treatment starting from HIV screening, counseling at the beginning of antiretroviral treatment, cases follow-up, group counseling for providing information, knowledge and understanding concerning with ARV, home visit including psycho-social support, in particular, setting peer to peer group up in hospitals. Peer to peer group was aimed to facilitate people living with HIV/AIDS to come and share information, knowledge and experience. Additionally, peers could help health care personnel to follow-up on ARV adherence including support and affordability of opportunity for work. Home visit by peerswas benefit for scaling-up of antiretroviral treatment adherence of people living with HIV/AIDS. Related health care personnel in many hospitals were willing to facilitate and support activities arranged by people living with HIV/AIDS group. Supportive environment in the work of volunteers were the improvement of capacity building by providing knowledge, information and skills needed for them, budget support, opportunities that offered them to help their friends with well collaboration of relevant partners. The important factors in the successful scaling up of antiretroviral treatment adherence were client's daily life, timely taking drug and disclosure of either negative or positive result of blood testing especially where people living with HIV/AIDS were stigmatized and discriminated.