Abstract:

Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has decreased the mortality and morbidity of HIV/AIDS. Several medicines are prescribed for disease management; however, adherence to long-term therapy remains poor. Disease severity and health beliefs about medications ultimately influence adherence to treatment. There is a paucity of data with regard to disease severity, health beliefs and medication adherence among HIV patients. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between disease severity, health beliefs, and medication adherence among HIV patients. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was used. Data were collected among 400 HIV-infected patients on ARV who received pretreatment and ongoing adherence counseling and education since 2010 using a self-administered questionnaire. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings showed that 68.3 % believed that there is a great chance of developing AIDS-related complications if ARV is not taken as directed, while 3.3% do not agree that taking HIV medication as prescribed can prolong life. The majority (95.5%) reported three is no difficulty with the prescribed regimen while 96.7% felt weird like a ‘zombie’ on medication and 95% agreed with the fact that ART medication can prevent the development of AIDS. Medication adherence is a complex, multifaceted issue and patient beliefs about medications contribute significantly, although to adherence. It is important to assess health beliefs for individual patients. When individual beliefs appear likely to undermine adherence, it may be useful to undertake educational interventions to try to modify them.

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