HIV / STI
Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Patients at a Specialized Long-Term Care Facility for People with HIV Brianne Olivieri-Mui* Brianne Olivieri-Mui Aneeka Ratnayake Mark Brennan-Ing Laura Senier
Background: Evidence suggests that HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence is suboptimal in long-term care (LTC) settings. We studied a LTC facility specializing in HIV care to understand how they meet the ART needs of people with HIV (PWH).
Methods: We conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 11 PWH and 5 LTC staff/clinicians to ask about facility-level routines, medical care, and observed/perceived culture. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using deductive and inductive coding matrices.
Results: Three themes emerged from the data: 1) maintaining adherence to an HIV routine is only one of many competing priorities for PWH including housing insecurity, drug use, and justice system involvement; 2) social support and loneliness are widely experienced and pose a challenge to complying with HIV regimens; and 3) staff members at this LTC facility provide material and emotional support to PWH to facilitate compliance. We highlight how routines and procedures complement organizational culture to support PWH in this setting.
Conclusions: Even in a facility that is designed to deliver consistently high-quality care to PWH, we still find that patients suffer numerous challenges in adhering to HIV medication protocols. Our findings show how a multidisciplinary team can support optimal adherence to ART.