This Article Full Text (OnlineFirst PDF) All Versions of this Article: 1049732309333272v1 19/5/593    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Stevens, P. E. Articles by Hildebrandt, E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Stevens, P. E. Articles by Hildebrandt, E. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information AIDS Medicines Health Literacy Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Pill Taking From the Perspective of HIV-Infected Women Who Are Vulnerable to Antiretroviral Treatment Failure

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: pstevens{at}uwm.edu.

	Abstract

We conducted this longitudinal qualitative study to gain in-depth understanding of HIV-infected women’s experiences with antiretroviral (ARV) regimens, exploring from their perspective what medication taking was like for them and what it meant in the context of their everyday lives. We engaged 55 participants over a 2-year period in 10 narrative-eliciting interviews. From their medication stories, we were able to track a 2-year prospective pattern of self-reported adherence for each individual who was prescribed ARVs. In this article we focus on the medication experiences of a subsample of 14 women who persistently had difficulties taking ARVs as prescribed, detailing their descriptions and evaluations of pill taking. Results suggest that rather than judging themselves harshly for nonadherence, they perceived their at-odds pill taking to be personally meaningful and accomplished for good purpose. Their rationales provide insights for more nuanced, empowerment-based interventions for individuals who are vulnerable to ARV treatment failure.

First published on March 3, 2009, doi:10.1177/1049732309333272

Qualitative Health Research 2009;19:593.

A more recent version of this article appeared on May 1, 2009


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?