Using Electronic Drug Monitor Feedback to Improve Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Among HIV-Positive Patients in China

• DOI: 10.1007/s10461-009-9615-1
• Publication Date: 2009-09-21T14:50:04Z
• Authors: Lora L. Sabin; Mary Bachman DeSilva; Davidson H. Hamer; Keyi Xu; Jianbo Zhang; Tao Li; Ira B. Wilson; Christopher J. Gill
• Keywords: Adult; Male; China; Social Psychology; Anti-HIV Agents; Antiretroviral medication; 610; HIV Infections; Medication Adherence; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; HIV Seropositivity; Humans; Medication adherence; Electronic drug monitoring; Original Paper; Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; Electronics, Medical; 3. Good health; AIDS; Infectious Diseases; Treatment Outcome; HIV-1; RNA, Viral; Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Drug Monitoring

Effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) requires excellent adherence. Little is known about how to improve ART adherence in many HIV/AIDS-affected countries, including China. We therefore assessed an adherence intervention among HIV-positive patients in southwestern China. Eighty subjects were enrolled and monitored for 6 months. Sixty-eight remaining subjects were randomized to intervention/control arms. In months 7-12, intervention subjects were counseled using EDM feedback; controls continued with standard of care. Among randomized subjects, mean adherence and CD4 count were 86.8 vs. 83.8% and 297 vs. 357 cells/microl in intervention vs. control subjects, respectively. At month 12, among 64 subjects who completed the trial, mean adherence had risen significantly among intervention subjects to 96.5% but remained unchanged in controls. Mean CD4 count rose by 90 cells/microl and declined by 9 cells/microl among intervention and control subjects, respectively. EDM feedback as a counseling tool appears promising for management of HIV and other chronic diseases.