A Cross-Sectional Study of Compliance to Anti- Retroviral Therapy in Pediatric Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Aim of the study: To assess the level of adherence and factors inuencing adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among pediatric patients of HIV.Materials and methods: After obtaining approval from the institutional ethics committee, a cross-sectional, observational study was conducted among 134 HIV/AIDS patients aged < 15 years. Patients who were on ART since 6 months were included in the study. Written and informed consent was obtained from the participant or the guardian. The study was conducted in the Department of Paediatrics, KIMS, Hubballi. The data was collected by self report by the care giver or the child regarding treatment adherence over the past month and ADRs experienced by them during the course of therapy, using a questionnaire. Condentiality of patients was maintained throughout and after the study. Results: Of the 134 pediatric patients of HIV/AIDS, 73.8% participants had good adherence to ART with adherence percentage of > 95%. The most common cause of non-adherence was the failure at the patient's end to rell the drugs. Higher mean adherence percentage was seen among those who travelled <10 km to access ART. On assessing the association of adherence to factors affecting it, statistically signicant association was seen with ADRs and clinical outcome of the disease. Higher mean adherence was seen when the responsibility of taking the medication was shared by the participant and one other caregiver. Conclusion: Adherence level observed in this study emphasises the need for intervention to ensure good clinical outcome. Several factors were seen to inuence adherence to ART among which, occurrence of ADRs was a signicant one. The study also found that availability of a responsible care giver positively affects the outcomes of therapy. Hence educating the children and care givers about importance of adherence to ART can lead to better outcome of the therapy.