Are people with HIV sticking to their medication treatment regimens? New method measures patient...( How do doctors know that patients a...)

Are people with HIV sticking to their medication treatment regimens? New method measures patient adherence

How do doctors know that patients are taking their medications faithfully? How can physicians help patients stay on lifesaving drugs?

In one of the most in-depth studies of its kind, UCLA researchers found that combining three measurement tools for estimating adherence to drug regimens including an electronic pill bottle cap that provides a dated record gives physicians and researchers a more accurate picture of how faithfully patients stay on their prescribed treatments than ever before.

The study, reported in the May 15 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, may help physicians and researchers develop new ways to measure medication adherence as well as to develop interventions to help people with HIV and other chronic diseases stay on treatment. Patient non-adherence costs the nation nearly $100 billion annually.

Researchers worked with 108 HIV-infected adults taking protease inhibitors and other highly potent drugs that suppress the HIV virus. Every month for a year, researchers compared three methods of measuring patient adherence to see which most accurately reflected how patients behaved.

The first two methods included asking patients how well they followed the treatment regimen and counting the number of pills remaining in patients medication bottles. The third method used a special pill bottle cap with a microchip that automatically recorded each time the bottle was opened.

Researchers found that combining all three methods together to generate a special composite adherence score proved more accurate than using each adherence measure by itself.

The study revealed that after taking antiretroviral drugs for six months, patients with undetectable levels of HIV were taking their medication as prescribed about 85 percent of the time. But those with detectable virus blood levels took their pills only about 66 percent of the time. Overall adherence for the full group was 76 percent.

Patient adherence to medicatio
'"/>

Contact: Rachel Champeau
rchampeau@support.ucla.edu
310-794-2270
University of California - Los Angeles
13-May-2001

Page: 1 2
Related medicine news :

1. Brain imaging study may hold clues to onset of schizophrenia in people at high risk
2. Antiretroviral therapy may prevent excess risk of some cancers in people with HIV
3. Malt liquor beers, and the people who drink them, are different
4. UCLA study shows that people drink less alcohol as they age
5. Flu vaccination benefits people of any age with high-risk medical conditions
6. Elderly people cared for by spouse are at greater risk for abuse, Pitt researchers find
7. Older people get the big picture faster, and they are less inhibited
8. Promise of bladder pacemaker for people with spinal cord injury
9. Controversial Atkins Diet may be beneficial for people with epilepsy
10. How the stories of ordinary people could give them more say over planning decisions
11. Activity not out of the question for people with chronic pain

Post Your Comments: