‘Simply forgot’ is the most frequently stated reason for missed doses of HAART irrespective of degree of adherence

Abstract

Objectives Previous studies have reported that forgetfulness is the most frequently mentioned reason for missed doses among patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). However, no previous study has compared the reasons given by highly nonadherent patients with the reasons given by patients with better adherence. The objective of this study was to examine further patients' self‐reported reasons for missing doses of HAART and to compare the reasons given by patients with lower adherence with those given by patients with higher adherence. Methods All patients visiting the clinics participating in the Danish HIV cohort study during a 1‐year period (July 2002 to June 2003) were eligible if they had started HAART at least 6 months previously. Consenting patients completed an anonymous self‐administered questionnaire based upon the adult AIDS Clinical Trial Group adherence questionnaires. Lower adherence was defined as reporting a missed dose within the preceding 4 days. Results We received usable questionnaires from 840 (75%) of the 1126 eligible patients. Patients with lower adherence reported the same reasons for missed doses as patients with higher adherence (Spearman's ρ=0.952, P<0.0001). In both groups of patients the three most frequently reported reasons for missed doses were ‘simply forgot’, ‘were away from home’, and ‘had a change in daily routines’. Conclusions Patients with poorer adherence to HAART state the same reasons for missing doses as patients with better adherence, and ‘simply forgot’ is the most frequently stated reason.

Number of daily pills, dosing schedule, self‐reported adherence and health status in 2010: a large cross‐sectional study of HIV‐infected patients on antiretroviral therapy

“…Thus, our results can be applied only to highly adherent patients and not necessarily to populations with lower average levels of adherence [4]. However, a number of studies have shown no correlation between adherence and treatment-related factors (reviewed in [1]) and, in a large survey, 'simply forgot', 'away from home' and 'had a change in daily routines' were the three most frequent reasons for missed doses [15]. In a recent national survey of 867 patients on antiretroviral therapy, only 8.2% of them reported 'taking a large number of tablets' as a reason for difficulty in taking antiretroviral therapy and in the list of self-reported reasons for difficulty in taking antiretroviral therapy, 'taking a large number of tablets' was only the sixth more frequent one [16].…”

Adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy in a tertiary care hospital in West Bengal, India

“…(5,18,38,39) A majority of PLWHA forgot to take their medicines due to busy schedules, forgetting to bring medicines when away from home, and changed daily routines. Patients on EFV-based regimens were found to be more nonadherent to HAART.…”

“…This tool has been extensively used in countries like the United States, (15) northern Italy, (16) Sub-Saharan Africa, (17) and Denmark. (18) It has also been used in many regions in India. (19)(20)(21) HAART-related profiles of the patients were taken from ART cards and medical records.…”

Adherence of Subjects With Cystic Fibrosis to Their Home Program: A Systematic Review

“…31 Along with issues regarding recall, patients with CF and respondents may provide answers that conform to their perceived expectations of their interviewer, as seen in patients with HIV. 57,58 The challenge for researchers in measuring adherence rates is first to define adherence. The WHO defines adherence as the extent to which a person's behavior (in terms of taking medication, following diets, or executing lifestyle changes) coincides with medical or health advice.…”