Economic vulnerability and non-initiation of antiretroviral therapy in India

A qualitative study

Datos Bibliográficos

ID19441237
AutoresIsabella Colocci (0009-0009-3262-9421, Harvard University Press), Jared Perlo (Harvard University Press), Sai Shanthanand Rajagopal (Harvard University Press), Theresa Betancourt (0000-0002-3683-4440, Boston College), Theresa S Betancourt, Amrose Pradeep (0000-0001-6051-5610, YR Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education), Kenneth H Mayer (0000-0001-7460-733X, Harvard University), Nagalingeswaran Kumarasamy (0009-0006-2252-5731, YR Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education), Conall O’cleirigh (0000-0002-5639-5043, Massachusetts General Hospital), Ingrid T Katz (0000-0002-3014-238X, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Brian T Chan (0000-0002-6971-3039, Brigham and Women's Hospital, autor de correspondencia)
Año2021
Volumen33
Número4
Páginas423-427
Fecha de publicación2021-04-03
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAIDS Care (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0954-0121 • E-ISSN: 1360-0451
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09540121.2020.1713973
PMID31928214
OpenAlexW2999125945
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas9

In India, many people living with HIV (PLHIV) do not successfully initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART) after diagnosis. We conducted a clinic-based qualitative study at the Y.R. Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research in Chennai, Tamil Nadu to explore factors that influence ART non-initiation. We interviewed 22 men and 15 women; median age was 42 (IQR, 36-48) and median CD4+ was 395 (IQR, 227-601). Participants were distrustful of HIV care freely available at nearby government facilities. Faced with the perceived need to access the private sector and therefore pay for medications and transportation costs, non-initiators with high CD4+ counts often decided to postpone ART until they experienced symptoms whereas non-initiators with low CD4+ counts often started ART but defaulted quickly after experiencing financial stressors or side effects. Improving perceptions of quality of care in the public sector, encouraging safe serostatus disclosure to facilitate stronger social support, and alleviating economic hardship may be important in encouraging ART initiation in India

Antiretroviral therapy · Economic growth · Family medicine · Political science · Private sector · Public sector · Qualitative research · Serostatus · Sociology · Tamil · Viral load · HIV Research and Treatment · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Medicine