Abstract:

Poor adherence to medical treatment is a general problem among HIV/AIDS patients attending ART Clinics in Nasarawa State and this often leads to viral unsupression and treatment failure. This cross-sectional descriptive research aimed at assessing the contributing factors to poor adherence in medical treatment among HIV positive patients. Self-structured and validated questionnaires were used to collect data from HIV/AIDS positive patients. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 400 samples after cluster sampling technique was used to select some ART clinics used for the study. All data collected were analyzed using MINITAB 14 and presented in figures and percentages using frequency distribution table. Findings showed that 90% of the respondents have knowledge on the medical management, information and the use of drug as a means of treatment. 80% accepted that the best method is the use of drugs while 90% also agree that the knowledge will improve adherence. 60% of the respondents had misconception that HIV antibody tests are not reliable while 30% believe that HIV can be detected by appearance. Reasons for defaults included perceived stigma/discrimination (50%), forgetfulness (25%), and use of herbal medicine (20%). 70% of the defaulters stopped their medication within 1 to 3 months of initiation. It was concluded that there is need for health workers in ART clinics to enhance adherence counseling to these clients /patients to improve adherence and dismiss their misconceptions as successful way of achieving viral suppression in treatment and hurting transmission of HIV/AIDS.

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