Abstract
Introduction: Adherence in ARV therapy is an important mechanism in preventing drug resistance. The level of adherence is influenced by several factors, one of which is the information skills factor. This study aims to analyze the relationship between information skills and ARV adherence in People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).Method: This was a cross-sectional approach with a sample size of 100 respondents who were selected through simple random sampling technique. The inclusion criteria for respondents were PLWHA who were undergoing ARV therapy, cooperative, aged 20-60 years. The instrument used was information skills questionnaire and Medical Adherence Rating Scale (MARS). The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and logistic regression test with p value ≤ 0.05.Results: Information skills were associated with ARV adherence (p = 0.01). Information skills consisting of knowledge about HIV/AIDS and ARV therapy can increase ARV adherence in PLWHA with indicators taking drugs regularly and have medical control on schedule.Conclusions: The information skills factor has an effect on ARV adherence. Increasing information skills can be done through educational activities or peer-group support aimed at gaining insight into disease and treatment, especially for newly diagnosed PLWHA.
Highlights
Adherence in ARV therapy was demonstrated as an action in treatment in the form of consuming drugs according to the recommended schedule and dose and conducting regular medical examinations (Suswani, Arsunan, Amiruddin, Syafar, & Yurniati, 2018)
This study aims to analyze the relationship between the information skills factor and ARV adherence in People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA)
A good level of information skills in the form of knowledge about HIV disease, correct use of ARVs, as well as information about side effects and drug reactions will affect the increase in ARV adherence in terms of behavior to prevent or minimize side effects or drug reactions, behavior to take medication according to the rules, and behavior in obtaining information and managing ARVs (Neupane et al, 2019)
Summary
Adherence in ARV therapy was demonstrated as an action in treatment in the form of consuming drugs according to the recommended schedule and dose and conducting regular medical examinations (Suswani, Arsunan, Amiruddin, Syafar, & Yurniati, 2018). Adherence to ARV therapy is still low, even though ARV treatment has been provided free of charge by the Indonesian government since 2004 (Health, 2019). Several factors, such as demographics, socioeconomics (Johnson et al, 2016) and information, are known to influence the level of adherence. One area in East Java, namely Tulungagung Regency, is reported to have had a high number of HIV / AIDS cases, namely 464 cases (BPS, 2019). To prevent resistance to treatment, PLWHA is expected to have a high level of adherence to ARV therapy.
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