Barriers to Antiretroviral Adherence for Patients Living with HIV Infection and AIDS in Botswana

Abstract

ARV adherence rates in this study were comparable with those seen in developed countries. As elsewhere, health care providers in Botswana were often unable to identify which patients adhere to their ARV regimens. The cost of ARV therapy was the most significant barrier to adherence.

Payment for antiretroviral drugs is associated with a higher rate of patients lost to follow-up than those offered free-of-charge therapy in Nairobi, Kenya

“…Finally, the association between end-user cost and adherence confirms observations from Senegal (Laniece et al, 2003), Uganda (Byakika-Tusiimi et al, 2005) and Botswana (Weiser et al, 2003;WHO, 2005b). Lack of compliance has immediate implications for the development of resistance to first-line ART regimens and leads to increased costs in the future, as second-line regimens cost five to ten times more than first-line regimens.…”

Longitudinal Antiretroviral Adherence in HIV+ Ugandan Parents and Their Children Initiating HAART in the MTCT-Plus Family Treatment Model: Role of Depression in Declining Adherence Over Time

“…Provision of no-cost therapy to all eligible HIV-infected individuals in the household ensured sustained adherence. As has been reported in other studies (Mills et al 2006a;Nachega et al 2004;Weiser et al 2003), perceived stigma was commonly reported as a barrier to access and adherence to ART.…”

“…While most studies have shown high levels of adherence to ART in resource-constrained settings Bisson et al 2008;Byakika-Tusiime et al 2005;Diabate et al 2007;Etard et al 2007;Fong et al 2003;Landman et al 2003;Laniece et al 2003;Laurent et al 2004;Laurent et al 2005a, b;Mills et al 2006b;Nachega et al 2004;Orrell et al 2003;Oyugi et al 2004;Remien et al 2003;San Lio et al 2008;Tadios and Davey 2006;Weidle et al 2002;Weidle et al 2006;Weiser et al 2003) there has been little discussion about how HIV? women balance the demands of adherence to HIV ART, childcare, and antiretroviral adherence among their children who are HIV-infected.…”

The Enabling Effect of Food Assistance in Improving Adherence and/or Treatment Completion for Antiretroviral Therapy and Tuberculosis Treatment: A Literature Review

“…Food insecurity is one of the multiple barriers that individuals face in initiating and adhering to long-term medical therapies such as ART and DOTS, especially in resourcelimited settings [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Other patient-related barriers include the complexity of the medication regimen [18], emotional distress [7], illness costs to households [19], stigma [20], health beliefs and poverty [4], limited knowledge of the disease [21], difficulty remembering [22], intentional non-adherence due to adverse drug reactions [23] and harmful use of alcohol [24].…”