Strategies to Promote Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Applied by Dutch HIV Nurse Consultants: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

Abstract

This study describes strategies used by Dutch HIV nurse consultants to promote adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the assumptions on which these strategies were based. The study used a descriptive qualitative design with individual and focus group interviews. Individual semi-structured interviews (n = 23) focusing on adherence-supporting procedures and case-based focus groups (3 groups with 5-7 participants each) focusing on adherence strategies were held with HIV nurse consultants (n = 19). The strategies described were mainly based on experience. Theoretical principles were rarely discussed and participants seldom referred to the literature. Adherence-promoting strategies were identified for two phases: (a) before beginning ART and (b) during follow-up care while on ART. Strategies that were not used in one specific phase were categorized under "all phases." Data yielded useful ideas for the care of HIV-infected patients, and findings can be applied to the development and use of adherence-promoting strategies.

Evaluation of the Role of Nurse Practitioners in Masterplan

“…Facilitating MI training for health care workers, without a counselling background and who may be accustomed to a more didactic approach to patients, may need more intensive support in the use of MI in daily practice than experienced counsellors (Moore et al 2012 well informed, was an important statement by most respondents. Vervoort et al (2010) observed similar statements by HIVnurse consultants. Autonomy and responsibility, however, can put a lot of pressure on a patient and there is some doubt whether self-management is always in the best interest of the patient (Delmar et al 2011).…”

The experienced positive and negative influence of HIV on quality of life of people with HIV and vulnerable to HIV in the Netherlands

“…Being diagnosed with HIV or being vulnerable to HIV in the pre-ART era may have caused a significant burden in the past 5 , 16 , 35 – 39 . The predominant and negative influence of HIV shared by participants in our study was described to have improved due to ART, PrEP, and U = U, but it did not disappear 5 , 33 , 40 – 42 . Improvements in clinical management in the ART era meant new discomforts for participants, such as the side effects of ART.…”

“…Many men and women with HIV in our study noted being grateful for being physically fit, and they attributed supporting and receiving support from a community to be a positive influence of HIV on their QoL. A possible explanation for positive adjustment to living with HIV resulting in a positive influence on the QoL may be a personal process of acceptance of HIV 33 , 34 . For example, participants who accepted living with HIV seemed to be motivated to support other people with HIV.…”

Sustaining secondary school nursing practice in Australia: A qualitative study

“…Interpretive descriptive research has been explained as a small-scale qualitative examination of subjective perceptions of phenomena to inform clinical understanding (Thorne et al, 2004). This method is well established within nursing when the research question relates to understanding nurses' experiences and perceptions (Calvin et al, 2009;Vervoort et al, 2010).…”