Interactions and the antiretroviral therapy adherence among people living with HIV/AIDS.

Abstract

Despite increasing accessibility to antiretroviral treatment regimens, adherence remains a challenge for the health systems in Brazil. Difficulties related with low adherence among patients living with HIV/AIDS include adapting to treatment and poorer social interactions, usually due to the stigma of the disease. These and other psychosocial aspects of subjects are expressed in their social interactions. This is a qualitative study. The participants were patients of reference services for HIV treatment. It was reached on 30 interviews; we defined greater empirical categories using Content Analysis. We observed that patients distanced from their partners, family, friends and neighbors, as opposed to sharing their experience with the disease experienced decreased support from their social network. These data pointed out the need to improve patient education and encourage more effective interventions, favoring multidisciplinary work to promote greater treatment adherence, as well as a more integrated approach to healthcare.