title: Visual analogue scale (VAS) measurement of antiretroviral adherence in people living with HIV (PLWH): a meta-analysis.
abstract: Effective treatment of HIV hinges upon maintaining adequate antiretroviral therapy adherence. Accurate, cost-effective measurement of medication adherence is needed to best respond to the HIV pandemic. The visual analogue scale (VAS) appears to be a simple and easy to use measure of adherence but the current literature on its use is mixed. This meta-analysis (1) describes VAS concordance with other measures of medication adherence and viral load; and (2) examines how research methods moderate the reported strength of the VAS-viral load relationship. Literature searches were conducted electronically and by hand with a total of 20 studies included in the present study. The VAS showed large strength associations with most other measures of adherence and a smaller association with viral load. More rigorous methodological quality significantly improved the VAS-viral load effect size. We conclude with optimization recommendations for VAS use in clinical practice and research design.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA. david.finitsis@yale.edu.
authors.forename: David J
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1988-008X
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Finitsis
authors.affiliation: Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pellowski
authors.affiliation: Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Tania B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Huedo-Medina
authors.affiliation: Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.affiliation: Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Seth C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kalichman
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D055118:Medication Adherence / Q000523:psychology*; D019562:Viral Load; D064232:Visual Analog Scale
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents
keywords: Adherence measurement; HIV; Medication adherence; Meta-analysis; Methodological quality; Viral load; Visual analogue scale; mHealth