[Pharmacy records as an indicator of non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy by HIV-infected patients].
The objectives of this study were to evaluate anti-retroviral (ARV) prescription pickups during twelve months following the first prescription and to identify factors associated with irregular pickups or permanent dropout in two public HIV/AIDS referral centers in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Participants (n = 323) were antiretroviral naïve and were recruited from May 2001 to May 2002. A total of 98 (30.3%) patients abandoned treatment, and 187 (57.9%) had at least one irregular pickup. Patients with irregular pickups and dropouts were compared to those with regular pickups. Multinomial multivariate analysis showed that living outside Belo Horizonte, CD4+ T-lymphocyte count greater than 200/mm(3), and antiretroviral regimen without protease inhibitors were associated with irregular pickups. In addition to these variables, not being on other medications, and any non-adherence recorded on patient charts were associated with treatment dropout. Pharmacy records are important potential indicators of non-adherence and should be incorporated as such in clinical practice. Strategies should be prioritized to reach out to dropouts or patients with irregular ARV pickups.
Gomes
Raquel Regina de Freitas Magalhães
RR
Gerência de Epidemiologia e Informação, Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, Brasil. quelfmg@medicina.ufmg.br
Machado
Carla Jorge
CJ
Acurcio
Francisco de Assis
Fde A
Guimarães
Mark Drew Crosland
MD
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001938:Brazil; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010594:Pharmacies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016312:Treatment Refusal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult; D016903:Drug Monitoring
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents