Similarly, about half of the patients said their ARV medication has had a negative impact on their lives, and yet only approximately 43 percent had ever asked their doctor about new treatment options with fewer side effects.
Patients in South Africa, which has the world’s largest ARV program, reported high levels of adherence: 83 percent said they had not missed a dose in the past month. Yet only 62 percent of HIV-infected persons knew that the development of drug resistance was a negative consequence as a result of missing their ARV doses, and 18 percent thought it to generally be a ‘good’ thing.

Last week, researchers presenting the report findings at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, described the lack of patient knowledge about the danger of drug resistance as a major concern.
The research has indicated a need for more in-depth conversations between patient and doctor, one that involves the patient being honest and disclosing all symptoms and issues. This helps to ensure that other problems, if any, can be diagnosed before administering a certain type of ARV.
IAPAC president Dr Jose Zuniga commented: “Expanding patient-physician conversations to include all aspects of a patient’s well-being is crucial for long-term survival and positive treatment outcomes.”

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