Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study designed to describe the experience of HIV medication adherence using a mobile phone application. For the purpose of this qualitative study, nine semi-structured focus group discussions were conducted over a three-month period at an AIDS service organization in Central Texas. The data were analyzed following the principles of thematic analysis. During analysis, four themes were identified and relations between these themes were delineated to reflect the experiences of the 23 participants. Improving adherence to antiretroviral therapy is key in reducing the morbidity and mortality of HIV disease; and daily medication adherence may prevent the occurrence of the development of drug resistant mutant strains of HIV (Mbuagbaw et al., 2011). Adherence to ART may be complex secondary to person, behavioral, and treatment factors (Halkitis, Palamar, & Mukjerjee, 2008); and noncompliance to taking daily HIV medications may be considered a community health issue secondary to risk for viral transmission. The mobile phone application, Care4TodayTM Mobile Health Manager, was the intervention tool; and collection of focus group discussion outcomes over a three-month period with baseline versus end-of-study data determined the feasibility and acceptability of this medication adherence intervention. The greater the intention to engage in a behavior, such as daily adherence to HIV medication regimes, the greater is the likelihood of its performance. The findings suggest that when individuals are offered the necessary resources, such as a mobile phone medication reminder application, they may have greater success in performing the behavior.

Description

This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 10011023; ProQuest document ID: 1766580303. The author still retains copyright.

Author Details

C. Andrew Martin, DNP, RN, ACRN, CHPN

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Type

Dissertation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Phenomenology

Research Approach

Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice

Keywords:

HIV Medication Adherence, Mobile Phone Application, Patient Education

Advisors

Upvall, Michele

Degree

DNP

Degree Grantor

Carlow University

Degree Year

2016

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2018-12-13

Full Text of Presentation

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