Validation of a counseling guide for adherence to antiretroviral therapy using implementation science.
Flor Yesenia Musayón-Oblitas, Cesar Paul Cárcamo, Sarah Gimbel and 2 others
PMID 32022148WHAT IT FOUND
Experts, nurses and patients rated a structured HIV adherence counseling guide as clear, useful and acceptable, including alcohol-risk topics.
It was not tested against usual care, so it shows how to deliver counseling, not that it improves adherence.
Key findings
01Eight of 11 invited specialists considered the guide clear, consistent and congruent, but three items had only majority agreement and were revised.
02Patients and families in focus groups with seven nurses and 30 patients said the guide would help them learn more and know what to do about the disease; nurses said it was possible to apply but would take additional time.
03In a pilot with 10 patients, nurses used the guide for 24 minutes initial and 21 minutes follow-up counseling and found it more organized and complete.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 8 of the 11 invited specialists returned content ratings, and three guide items had only majority agreement. The pilot included 10 patients at one hospital, so it cannot show whether the guide improves adherence. Focus groups reported perceptions of usefulness and acceptability, not measured patient outcomes. Nurses said the guide needs extra time, training, space and privacy, which may limit use in busy services.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not report funding sources or conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that the counseling guide improves HIV treatment adherence or reduces alcohol consumption. It was validated for content and user acceptability in a small pilot, and the authors say an experimental study is needed to test effectiveness.