Factors Affecting Adherence to Anti-retroviral Therapy at Kampala International University Teaching Hospital, Bushenyi District, Uganda
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Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
American Journal of Medical Sciences and Medicine
Abstract
Complex regimens present significant challenges to both patients and health-care providers with respect
to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) treatment adherence. Improper adherence leads to poor suppression of HIV
replication in infected cells. High level of ART treatment adherence leads to better viral suppression outcomes.
Proper maintenance of ART treatment adherence over time remains a problematic area especially in resource limited
settings, including sub-Saharan African countries. The western region of Uganda has been noted to have a high
prevalence of HIV patients. This study was therefore undertaken to determine the factors associated with nonadherence among the HIV patients on ART in a teaching hospital in south-western Uganda. Findings of the study
revealed that forgetting treatment was the most cited factor. Feeling better after some medication period, being too ill
to take medication, stigma associated with taking ART medication, alcohol consumption and drug stock out were
also identified to be associated to non-adherence among the study participants. Most of the patients in this study
(150/255, 58.8%) had good adherence, followed by those who had fair rates of adherence (60/255, 23.5%). Forty
five patients (17.6%) had the least adherence level. Findings also showed that females were most likely to miss their
medication. The age groups of 30-39 and 40-49 were the most likely not to adhere to medications compared to the
other age groups while the 0-19 and above 50 years age groups were most likely not to miss their medication. The
separated patients were more likely to miss medication compared to others. Patients who had attended only primary
education and those who attended tertiary level of education were most likely to be non-adherent to medication.
Deliberate measures need to be taken to cater for the non-adherent patients. Interventions aimed at the high-risk nonadherence groups need to be specifically developed.
Description
Dwoki Wani Buyu, Conrad Ondieki Miruka, Josephat Nyabayo Maniga, and Albert Nyanchoka Onchweri, “Factors Affecting Adherence to Anti-retroviral Therapy at Kampala International University Teaching Hospital, Bushenyi District, Uganda.
Keywords
ART, Adherence, Uganda, factors, Human immunodeficiency virus
Citation
Dwoki Wani Buyu, Conrad Ondieki Miruka, Josephat Nyabayo Maniga, and Albert Nyanchoka Onchweri, “Factors Affecting Adherence to Anti-retroviral Therapy at Kampala International University Teaching Hospital, Bushenyi District, Uganda.” American Journal of Medical Sciences and Medicine, vol. 4, no. 1 (2016): 17-22. doi: 10.12691/ajmsm-4-1-4.