RESEARCH ARTICLE
Readiness in HIV Treatment Adherence: A Matter of Confidence. An Exploratory Study§
Helene Sylvain*, 1 , Philippe Delmas2
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2011Volume: 5
First Page: 119
Last Page: 124
Publisher ID: TOAIDJ-5-119
DOI: 10.2174/1874613601105010119
Article History:
Received Date: 14/10/2010Revision Received Date: 9/7/2011
Acceptance Date: 24/8/2011
Electronic publication date: 29/12/2011
Collection year: 2011
open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
Adherence to treatment is recognized as the essence of a successful HIV combination therapy. Optimal adherence implies a readiness to begin the treatment on the part of the patient. A better understanding of the "readiness phenomenon" will become an asset for optimizing HIV treatment. However, few studies have focused on understanding the process underlying the choice to adhere. The aim of this study is to understand the readiness process that leads to adhering to the HIV treatment, from both patient and professional perspectives. Twenty-seven in-depth interviews, with a qualitative exploratory design, were the source of our data. Participants were recruited in two hospitals in Paris. Throughout the data-collection process, analysed data were supplied to all participants and the research team, thus allowing for shared constructions. Four themes, interrelated with a constitutive pattern, emerged from the data we collected. Being ready to begin and adhere to treatment is a matter of confidence in oneself, as well as in relatives, in the treatment and in the health professional team. These themes are not constant and unvarying; instead, they constitute a picture moving across time and life events. Results of this study show that adherence that goes beyond “complying with” the medical instructions, but depends on how much of an active role the patient plays in the choice to adhere.
