HIV InSite:
HIV/AIDS Information Source
HIV InSite, developed by the Center for HIV Information at the University of California San Francisco, aspires to provide free, anonymous access to “comprehensive, in-depth HIV/AIDS information and knowledge,” including an extensive Knowledge Base and other on-site materials as well as thousands of links to to other web sites.
HIV InSite Treatment Adherence References Index
On a single web page, Adherence to HIV Antiretroviral Therapy: Related Resources, HIV InSite lists annotated links to selected pertinent
- Knowledge Base Chapters
- Journal Articles
- Policy Reports, Papers, and Briefs
- Presentations, Interviews, and Roundtable Discussion
- Online Books and Chapters
- Newsletter Articles
- Slide Sets
- Program Management Materials
- Patient and Community Education
- Patient Information Sites
This index is available at
~Adherence to HIV Antiretroviral Therapy: Related Resources~
Commentary
The resources listed are extensive and many are immediately recognizable as frequently cited and highly regarded references.
That said, some improvements could increase the value of this index.
- Updating The Listing: This morning, the Resources web page carries the legend, “Content reviewed July 2005,” although many of the articles were published in 2006. That apparent discrepancy should be clarified. More significantly, an accurate “Last revised” date should be listed for the benefit of those using this index. If no articles published in the past year are listed, one shouldn’t have to guess whether that is the consequence of a judgment that older references serve the reader’s purpose better than more recent publications or the result of the list lying dormant for that time. Also, some links are broken (e.g., Adherence to Potent Antiretroviral Therapy, in: Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents Among HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents)
- More useful annotations: Currently, many annotations are no more than citations. The reader should have at least enough information to know why a given article or reference is listed. For example, the first item is Antiretroviral Drug Profiles, a heading which leaves the information’s pertinence to adherence a matter of speculation. Do those profiles contain compliance rates? Are they provided to inform one of factors that might affect adherence, such as side-effects or dosing schedules?
- Provision of criteria for selection: The range of material listed is so varied that the qualification standards are not apparent. Even if these were chosen based on a group’s personal preferences, that should be known to the reader.
- Notice of special costs: While the mission of InSite specifies “free” access, some of the links connect to brief abstracts of limited utility while the full articles are available only to those with subscriptions or willing to pay extra fees (e.g., A stress and coping model of medication adherence and viral load in HIV-positive men and women on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).). That is acceptable, but it would be helpful if those fees were mentioned in the link’s annotation.
- Differentiation of commercial vs academic sites: Some of the links are connected to for-profit web sites (e.g., The annotation of the link to e-pill.com is limited to “Offers a range of interesting medication adherence/compliance tools for patients”). Again, this is acceptable, but it would be helpful if that were indicated in the annotations.
None of these issues negate the value of the materials listed at ~Adherence to HIV Antiretroviral Therapy: Related Resources~; taking these relatively simple steps, however, would further enhance the utility of this resource page.