Remembering to Take HIV Medications
HIV treaters and the adherence counselors and nurses working with them spend many hours educating patients and assessing their adherence to medications. This issue is addressed intensively when a patient starts medications, and on all followup office visits. Most AIDS Service Organizations and HIV providers have a formal Adherence Program, which evaluates a patient's knowledge of HIV and his or her readiness to start medications and helps to identify any potential barriers to their success in being able to take the medications consistently. Drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness issues need to be addressed at this point, although in many cases patients with these issues are able to take the medications as prescribed. Close one-on-one counseling and support is provided, and the patient is empowered to incorporate the medication regimen into his or her daily life by examining daily routines and ways to be reminded to take the medication as well as how to prepare for unforeseen circumstances (such as working an extra shift at work). Education itself is the best tool for adherence; if patients know why medications are prescribed, believes that they will benefit from them and be healthier, and understands the implications of not taking them consistently, they will be more likely to be adherent. In addition to education, other tools to assist with adherence are the involvement of family or friends to provide reminders, charts with medication times to post in conspicuous areas of the home, organization of pills into weekly pillboxes, keeping an extra dose of medications at work, in the car, or in a purse, and electronic medication reminders.
So, what do we do when all of this fails, and a patient keeps "forgetting" to take their medications? It's back to square-one. The first thing is to re-assess the person's understanding of the importance of taking the medications as prescribed and the implications of missing doses. Next, reassess what is going on in his or her life; unusual or new stress, the breakup of a relationship, recent relapse or increase in drug or alcohol use, and transportation problems to get to the pharmacy are just a few of the many things that could result in someone becoming careless with their regimen. It might be that the patient needs to be referred for substance abuse or short-term mental health counseling.
If the patient convinces us that he or she is committed to taking the medications, but just keeps "forgetting" them, it may be helpful to help the patient to identify a reliable friend or family member who will be willing to commit to making a reminder phone call for each dose. The problem with this is that people get busy in their own lives and may forget to make the phone calls. Still, the idea of phone calls is a great one; most of us won't go anywhere without a cell phone anymore, so it makes sense that phone reminders would work. I did an Internet search for "telephone reminder calls" and "telephone wake-up calls" on Google, and came up with many services that could be utilized for this purpose. There are many different options and rates; the best I found was a place called "MyCalls". Their website is : http://www.mycalls.net/index.asp Pricing is by the minute or by the month (both are very reasonable), depending on the plan selected. The patient can choose the exact time of the calls, and can change these times online or over the phone if needed. The patient can set the ring-tone on his or her phone specifically for these calls, so that they are not ignored.
I realize that most people don't want another bill to pay each month, especially if they are not working. But the price paid for non-adherence to these medications is much higher than what one of these plans would be. Realistically, if someone can afford a cell phone, there is most likely a way to fit a reminder call service into their budget. A referral for Case Management services or Financial Planning may be beneficial.
Related Tags: medication, hiv medications, hiv positive, medication adherence
I am a Nurse Practitioner who has been caring for HIV/AIDS patients for the past 6 years, which I have found to be very rewarding - in fact, it's my "niche". Prior to that, I worked as a Nurse Practitioner in a Family Practice Clinic. I was a Registered Nurse for about 15 years prior to becoming a Nurse Practitioner, with most of my nursing experience in ICU/Critical Care and Oncology (Bone Marrow Transplant).
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- Relieve Back Pain From Spinal Stenosis, Herniated Disc With Laser Spine Surgery
Do you suffer from chronic back and neck pain? Do you need surgery, but you're afraid of invasive pr - Issues And Advantages Of Hemorrhoid Medical Procedures
Hemorrhoid surgery is what people resort to if other therapies have failed. Surgical elimination fre - Anyone Can Be Affected By Lyme Disease Symptoms
Lyme Disease is a tricky one to diagnose. It is incredibly easy to contract due to the size of the t - Are You Sick?
Symptoms for Lyme disease are numerous. A portion of these are very apparent. Some are more subtle a - Acne Curing Techniques - Natural Methods
This writeup suggests yet more ways of clearing your acne for good. Water helps flush the body of to - What Are The Symptoms Of Kidney Problems?
Although many kidney problem symptoms share a variety of similarities, there are still variations de - Herpes - Treating The Pain
A herpes infection can be a very painful experience. This can also affect you physiologically, emoti - Personal Care Of Lung's Health: Avoiding Cancer
Cancer can be in the form of many names. It can affect even the smallest bone or muscle inside the h - Acid Reflux Disease - The Causes, Symptoms And Treatments
Acid reflux, or gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD), is a condition that produces abnormal reflu - What Will Happen If Gout Or High Uric Acid Is Left Untreated
Gout is not just a is toe pain that comes and goes, gout is a warning that sign that your body is un
Most viewed articles in this category:
- How to Cure Candida with Acidophilus
If you are having Candida, you need to know about acidophilus as it might help you with your conditi - The Symptoms Of Anorexia And Bulimia Nervosa
One of the most notable symptoms of anorexia and bulimia is the fast and excessive loss of weight. T - Self Care Tips For People With Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease can be overwhelming for many people who have it. Not only must patients face the - Common Wart Removal Doctor
Most common wart removal doctor or dermatologists are not only dealing with common warts but also wa - Crohn's Disease and You
If you have recently been diagnosed with Crohn's disease or another Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) - Codliver Oil to Remove Skin Moles and Warts
The use of codliver oil to remove skin moles and warts is noted however this is less popular as comp - Early Warning Signs of Parkinson's Disease - What To Look For
Parkinson's disease develops when the neurons of the substantia nigra in the brain become progressiv - Leaky Gut Syndrome, Celiac Disease, Crohn's Disease, and Colitis Linked to Altered Gut Permeability
Leaky gut syndrome:Leaky gut syndrome is a term often used in complementary or alternative medicine - Acid Reflux Disease Diet
Acid Reflux is becoming a common problem these days due to the changing life styles and poor eating - Viral Infection Headache From Meningitis
A viral infection headache can come from different types of viruses. The concern about having such