In a move which emphasises the central role of health care professionals in supporting people with HIV to take their HIV medication successfully, the British HIV Association (BHIVA) and the Medical Society for Study of Venereal Diseases (MSSVD) have released draft recommendations on HIV treatment adherence. The document, which is available here on aidsmap.com in either pdf or html format, is now open for consultation.
Developed by a BHIVA Writing Group chaired by this writer, the BHIVA / MSSVD Adherence Guidelines review available data both on the role of adherence in HIV therapy, and on enablers and barriers to effective adherence. These have been used to derive a series of recommendations on how high adherence can be promoted within HIV clinical settings.
The group propose that every clinic which prescribes antiretroviral therapy should have a written policy on provision of adherence support, and that staff should be adequately trained to enable services to be delivered effectively.
A discussion group is now open here at aidsmap.com which will host comments on the draft. Everyone with an interest in HIV treatment adherence is welcome to participate. In addition, comments on the draft guidelines can be emailed to Anna Poppa, Senior Editor at NAM.