Patient readiness to adhere to HAART.
OBJECTIVE
To determine 1) whether patients' statements of readiness to take HAART predicted adherence and 2) whether previous experience with HAART enabled patients to better predict adherence.


METHODS
Thirty-nine patients (24 naïve to HAART and 15 reinitiating HAART after a hiatus of >6 months) indicated readiness to take HAART on a Likert scale and a visual analog scale (VAS). Adherence was measured by prescription renewals.


RESULTS
Participants were 72% male; 62% African/American; 23% Anglo-White, and 13% Hispanic. Patients considered themselves quite ready to initiate therapy on both scales. Adherence for 5 months ranged from 24% to 100%; mean = 68%; median = 78%. Adherence was not associated with readiness as measured by the Likert scale (F = .15, p = .86) or the VAS (r = -.078, p = .64). VAS readiness scores did not correlate with adherence for naïve (r = -.16; p = .47) or experienced (r = .09; p = .76) patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients' statements of readiness to take HAART do not predict their adherence.
Grimes
Richard M
RM
Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA. richard.m.grimes@uth.tmc.edu
Grimes
Deanna E
DE
D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013781:Texas; D016903:Drug Monitoring