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Beyond mere pill taking: SMS reminders for HIV treatment adherence delivered to mobile phones of clients in a community support network in A ustralia
Author(s) -
Mao Limin,
Buchanan Andrew,
Wong Horas Tze Hoo,
Persson Asha
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
health and social care in the community
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.984
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1365-2524
pISSN - 0966-0410
DOI - 10.1111/hsc.12544
Subject(s) - medicine , mhealth , empowerment , pill , short message service , intervention (counseling) , social support , family medicine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , social stigma , stigma (botany) , psychological intervention , psychiatry , nursing , psychology , social psychology , political science , computer science , law , operating system
Abstract SMS reminders sent to personal mobiles are increasingly used by clinical services to promote patient engagement, including adherence to antiretroviral treatment ( ART ) for HIV . From August to September 2015, a 6‐week, randomised SMS reminder for ART adherence intervention was implemented among 98 HIV ‐positive clients of Australian's largest HIV charitable organisation located in Sydney. This was followed by a mixed‐method evaluation, comprising a self‐completed online survey and a one‐to‐one interview. Of the 62 survey participants, all being men, the majority were gay (85.5%) and living long‐term with HIV (median year of HIV diagnosis = 1998). While everyone was on ART , a substantial proportion ( n = 27, 43.5%) had interrupted treatment in the past. At the end of the intervention, based on the standard SMAQ measure, 82% had consistently adhered to ART in the previous week. While there was no statistically significant intervention effect, perceiving less stigma were independently associated with better ART adherence (adjusted odds ratio = 0.37; 95% CI 0.16–0.89; P = .026). Of the 11 interviewees, despite limited add‐on effects on individual ART adherence, the campaign was well‐received as a unique community support service. This study underscores the essential role of empowerment through enhancing disease self‐management, increasing social support and reducing stigma, particularly for long‐term HIV survivors. SMS messaging, part of mHealth, delivered by community services could have broader impacts on reducing health and social inequity.