title: Patient readiness to adhere to HAART.
abstract: 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.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA. richard.m.grimes@uth.tmc.edu
authors: Richard M
authors: RM
authors: Grimes
authors: Deanna E
authors: DE
authors: Grimes
mesh_terms: 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