TREATMENT COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES AND ADHERENCE TO ART– PERSPECTIVES FROM CLIENTS AND HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN PUBLIC FUNDED TREATMENT SITES

BY ONEKUTU; Patience and OJEBODE; Ayobami.

Volume : IV, Issue : VI, June - 2014

TREATMENT COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES AND ADHERENCE TO ART– PERSPECTIVES FROM CLIENTS AND HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN PUBLIC FUNDED TREATMENT SITES

By Onekutu, Patience And Ojebode, Ayobami.

Abstract :

This paper analyses communication strategies employed by health service providers in ensuring medication adherence among HIV–positive clients enrolled in 3 outpatient drug treatment sites. Communication has been identified as important for educating the public, influencing attitudes and perceptions, generating demands for services and improving provider–client interaction, hence the need to employ it as part of the strategies required for improving the quality of lives of PLWHA specifically, and generally, for fighting against the HIV scourge. As part of an open–ended semi–structured interview, 27 health service providers discussed the communication strategies employed in ensuring adherence to ART. Also, 580 HIV– positive adults currently on antiretroviral medications were recruited to participate in a questionnaire survey, and 48 others in focus group discussion. Adherence was linked with effective provider– client communication. Findings showed that interpersonal communication was intensively used in all 3 sites (over 77%) while all the other channels had no significant reach. Moreover, most health professionals and clients (80%) believed in the efficacy of interpersonal communication in inging about behavioural change. The results demonstrate that HIV/AIDS communication need to move beyond assumptions to proper analysis of issues. While viable new channels may be initiated, existing channels should not be neglected.