Abstract
This study aimed to assess the knowledge of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and the associated factors in HIV-infected patients in Vietnam. We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study of 350 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients being treated with ARV at outpatient clinics at Soc Trang, Vietnam, from June 2019 to December 2019. Using an interview questionnaire, patients who answered at least eight out of nine questions correctly, including some required questions, were considered to have a general knowledge of ARV treatment. Using multivariate logistic regression to identify factors associated with knowledge of ARV treatment, we found that 62% of HIV-infected patients had a general knowledge of ARV treatment, with a mean score of 8.2 (SD 1.4) out of 9 correct. A higher education level (p < 0.001); working away from home (p = 0.013); getting HIV transmitted by injecting drugs or from mother-to-child contact (p = 0.023); the presence of tension, anxiety, or stress (p = 0.005); self-reminding to take medication (p = 0.024); and a high self-evaluated adherence (p < 0.001) were found to be significantly associated with an adequate knowledge of ARV treatment. In conclusion, education programs for patients, as well as the quality of medical services and support, should be strengthened.
Highlights
From the discovery of the world’s first human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Los Angeles, USA, in 1981, until 2020, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (UNAIDS), about 38 million people in the world have been affected with HIV; this includes 36.2 million adults and 1.8 million children [1]
We excluded patients who were suffering from mental illness; excluded were patients lost to follow-up or who had died during this study, as well as patients who refused to participate
The univariable logistic regression revealed that better knowledge of ARV treatment was associated with a higher education level ((OR) = 3.25, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 2.07–5.09; p < 0.001), working away from home ((OR) = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.21–3.03; p = 0.005), and getting HIV from injecting drugs or mother-to-child contact ((OR) = 4.86, 95% CI: 1.09–21.62; p = 0.022)
Summary
From the discovery of the world’s first human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Los Angeles, USA, in 1981, until 2020, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), about 38 million people in the world have been affected with HIV; this includes 36.2 million adults and 1.8 million children [1]. HIV patients’ lack of knowledge may be influenced by inadequate information provided by health professionals regarding medication [5]. This lack of knowledge can be a barrier to ART adherence [5,6], as it is closely related to patients’ health outcomes [7] and to the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy [8], including virological failure [8,9,10], antiretroviral resistance [8,9,10,11], and increased mortality [8,11]. Having recently received considerable support in resources to carry out this work [12], we conducted this study in Soc Trang to assess HIV-infected patients’ knowledge of ARV treatment and associated factors
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