Economic vulnerability and non-initiation of antiretroviral therapy in India

A qualitative study

Dados 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 correspondente)
Ano2021
Volume33
Fascículo4
Páginas423-427
Data de publicação2021-04-03
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoAIDS Care (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0954-0121 • E-ISSN: 1360-0451
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09540121.2020.1713973
PMID31928214
OpenAlexW2999125945
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas1
Referências 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