[Simplified scale for medication adherence related problems in anti-retroviral therapy].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose is to describe an own-developed scale for medication adherence evaluation of HIV patients under antiretroviral therapy, and to compare it with other previously described methods.


METHODS
The six-item scale was compared with a pharmacy record about the delivery of medication. Accordance between scale and a four-item Morisky-type scale (measure 1) and a percentage of doses taken as prescribed during the past two weeks (measure 2) was computed.


RESULTS
The own-scale showed 93% sensitivity, 70% specificity, a likelihood ratio of 3.08 and good agreement compared with the pharmacy record (k = 0.62, p < 0.001). Agreement between the scale and measure 1 and measure 2 was very weak (k = 0.12, p = 0.446 and k = 0.10, p = 0.273 respectively). 39.7% of patients was considered as adherent according with the own-scale and was observed correlation between adherence and clinical outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
The scale appears to be a valid instrument to check and detect adherence related problems compared with the pharmacy medication record. Easiness to use make feasible to consider as an adequate tool to detect non-adherent patients or patients with adherence related problems into the daily clinical practice.
Ventura-Cerdá
J M
JM
Unidad de Atención Farmacéutica a Pacientes Externos (UFPE), Servicio de Farmacia, Hospital General de Castellón, Avda. Benicasim s/n, 12004 Castellón, Spain. ventura_jma@gva.es
Mínguez-Gallego
C
C
Fernández-Villalba
E M
EM
Alós-Almiñana
M
M
Andrés-Soler
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents