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Beyond Compliance, Adherence, & Concordance – Supporting The Patient’s Implementation Of Optimal Treatment

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Adherence Assistants

August 8th, 2006 at 2:41 am · · Enhancements · No Comments

Moving up from 3 by 5
Marcel Stoeckle, Rehema Mchomvu, Christoph Hatz, Manuel Battegay, Eriv Aris, Hassan Mshind, and Marcel Tanner, The Lancet Infectious Diseases 2006; 6:460-461
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Chronic Diseases Clinic
St Francis Designated District Hospital



While the whole of this report dealing with advances made and challenges remaining in antiretroviral therapy in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, the most significant issue vis-à-vis adherence is this excerpt:

The adherence assistant is indispensable for patients qualifying for antiretroviral therapy in rural situations. Faced with long distances between patients’ homes and health facilities, an adherence assistant supports the patient in their daily intake of the drugs, collecting drugs at the health facility in case the patient is not able to do so, and informing the treatment facility about side-effects hindering the patient’s attendance at the clinic. In our experience, adherence assistants are exceptionally well accepted.

Commentary

Obviously, adherence to HIV/AIDS treatment in sub-Saharan Africa is a different matter than, say, compliance with prescribed antibiotics in the Midwest of the United States. Nonetheless, the consensus that adherence assistants, by whatever name, have been successful agents in the former arena should trigger consideration of their potential benefit, at least in specific niches in the industrialized nations.

Tags: Enhancements