Antiretroviral therapies from the patient's perspective

Thirty-seven patients receiving antiretroviral therapy were interviewed in depth in preparation for a quantitative study of patients' perceptions of t heir treatment. Patients described three types of difficulty with treatment : conflict between treatment recommendations and daily life, side effects ( immediate and long term) and fear that treatment would reveal their seropos itivity. These problems interfered with treatment adherence which was other wise generally good. The problems are rarely evoked during medical consulta tions: certain patients think they are not pertinent, and physicians give p riority to clinical and laboratory examinations. Training must be carried o ut in order to permit physicians to raise all the factors (including psycho social factors) that are liable to reduce the quality of treatment adherenc e.