title: Adherence to anti-retroviral therapy and its determinants in HIV/AIDS patients: a review.
abstract: Although Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART) significantly reduced HIV/AIDS mortality, appropriate adherence level is recommended for viral suppression and therapeutic response in People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). In the most studies, adherence is defined as taking ≥95% of prescribed medications. Poor or non-adherence may lead to treatment failure and drug resistance. There is no golden standard for evaluation of adherence to medication and many measurement methods are used to assess adherence rate. Moreover, several determinants have been contemplated for adherence in different studies; however, the exact roles of some determinants are not well established. The goals of this review are to describe the adherence rates, to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of common adherence measurement methods, to examine significant correlations related to adherence and to recommend strategies for improving adherence in clinical care.
authors.affiliation: Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS (IRCHA), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Sahra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Emamzadeh-Fard
authors.forename: Sahar E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Fard
authors.forename: SeyedAhmad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: SeyedAlinaghi
authors.forename: Koosha
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Paydary
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active / Q000379:methods; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D055118:Medication Adherence; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents