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Using motivational interviewing to promote adherence to antiretroviral medications: a pilot study.

This report describes a pilot study of a nursing intervention to increase adherence to combination therapy. The intervention was based on motivational interviewing (MI). Participants completed a baseline assessment using the computer-administered self-interview with audio (ACASI) data collection method and then were randomly assigned to the MI intervention or control condition. Nurse counselors met with participants in the MI intervention group for three adherence sessions. Two months following baseline, participants completed a follow-up assessment. Mean scores on ratings of missed medications were lower for participants in the intervention group than those in the control group. Although there were no significant differences in the number of medications missed during the past 4 days, participants in the MI group reported being more likely to follow the medication regimen as prescribed by their health care provider. The pilot study provided useful information about the acceptability of ACASI and the adequacy of intervention procedures. The results of this pilot study show promise for the use of MI as an intervention to promote adherence to antiretroviral medications.

Adolescent↗

Effectiveness of interventions by community pharmacists to improve patient adherence to chronic medication: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the impact of interventions by community pharmacists on patients' adherence with chronic medication. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search (1966-November 30, 2003) and a review of reference sections were done to identify all pertinent English- and German-language journal articles. Search terms included compliance, adherence, persistence, discontinuation, pharmacist, and intervention. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: From each relevant study, the following data were extracted: study design, country, disease, number of patients, patients' age and gender, type of intervention, duration of follow-up, method of measurement of adherence and adherence rate, and data concerning the quality of the included studies. DATA SYNTHESIS: A total of 162 studies were identified, of which 18 matched our inclusion criteria. Twelve were randomized controlled trials and 6 were non-crossover single-group trials. Eight studies showed significant improvement of adherence at one or more time points. Eight studies did not show any effect, 7 of which were randomized controlled trials. In most studies, adherence rates at baseline were high compared with rates reported in the general population. Counseling, monitoring, and education during weekly or monthly appointments showed some effect. However, these same types of interventions showed no effect in other studies. The overall quality of the included studies was low. CONCLUSIONS: Currently, it is impossible to identify an overall successful adherence-improving strategy performed by pharmacists. More well-designed and well-conducted studies on the effectiveness of interventions by a community pharmacist to improve patient adherence to chronic medication need to be performed.

Community Pharmacy Services↗

Patient support and education for promoting adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS.

BACKGROUND: Highly active antiretroviral therapy is associated with improved health outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, full therapeutic benefit from HAART may require near-perfect adherence to prescribed regimens. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of patient support and education interventions for improving adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in people living with HIV and AIDS. SEARCH STRATEGY: Studies were identified using AIDSLINE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, HEALTHSTAR, PSYCHLIT, SOCIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS, INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL ABSTRACTS, SCIENCE CITATION INDEX, EMBASE, and abstracts from global AIDS meetings, ICAAC, and other major meetings from January 1996 to April 1999. Further information was sought through contact with authors, reference lists, and Collaborative Review Group databases. SELECTION CRITERIA: To be included, studies had to describe a supportive or educational intervention to improve adherence to a HAART regimen in HIV positive patients, and include a comparison group. Eligible HAART regimens were defined as consisting of at least three anti-HIV drugs one of which must be a protease inhibitor or non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. At least one measure of adherence was also required. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data on study design, participants, interventions, and outcomes were extracted from the reports onto specifically designed data collection forms by at least two reviewers. MAIN RESULTS: One study satisfied the eligibility criteria. It compared a pharmacist-led intervention consisting of educational counseling and availability of follow-up telephone support with conventional dispensing of HAART pills. This intervention significantly improved adherence to HAART, and adherence to HAART significantly predicted undetectable viral load at 24 weeks. However, participating in the intervention did not significantly predict a subsequently undetectable viral load at 24 weeks. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Implications for practice Currently a pharmacist-led program of educational and supportive counseling is the only available intervention which has been shown in a controlled study to improve adherence to HAART, with less evidence that viral load is subsequently reduced. Implications for research Controlled trials are urgently needed to determine which interventions can significantly improve adherence to HAART. Whether interventions that improve adherence also suppress viral load and improve clinical outcomes should also be considered.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Understanding treatment adherence in affective disorders: a qualitative study.

The objective of this study was to explore the perspective of depressed patients, their family and mental health professionals from their community mental health centre (CMHC) on factors related to treatment adherence. We conducted eight separate focus groups involving patients, their families and their therapists from three CMHCs. A total of 52 persons were involved. The groups explored patients' and family's explanatory model of depression, perceptions about the course of the disease, the role of medication and other treatments, the main causes of non-adherence, and interventions which would help increase it. Patients and families had a complex cognitive model of depression, which combined intrinsic vulnerability, psychological suffering during childhood and adolescence, and adverse life events. Drugs as well as other treatments were considered helpful, more so by patients than by family members. Denial of the disease and need to test its continuing presence were the main causes of non-adherence for patients, while adverse reactions did not play a relevant role. Mental health professionals tended to underestimate non-adherence in depressed patients, and did not question their patients about medication adherence. Family members needed more information on depression, on how to manage their relatives, as well as psychological and social support for themselves. The study allowed for the identification of a number of specific interventions aimed at facilitating treatment adherence, such as providing more information to patients and families, and training doctors and nurses in effective prevention and management of non-adherence.

Adolescent↗

Patient adherence in the treatment of depression.

BACKGROUND: Non-adherence with antidepressant treatment is very common. Increasing adherence to pharmacological treatment may affect response rate. AIMS: To review and summarise quantitative evidence on factors associated with adherence and of adherence-enhancing interventions. METHOD: A systematic review of computerised databases was carried out to identify quantitative studies of adherence in depression. Papers retained addressed unipolar depression and considered adherence as the primary end-point. RESULTS: Of studies published between 1973 and 1999, 32 met the review criteria: epidemiological descriptive studies (n=14): non-random comparisons of control and intervention groups (n=3); randomised interventions (n=14); and meta-analysis (n=1). Patient education and medication clinics were the interventions most commonly tested, combined with a variety of other interventions. CONCLUSIONS: The studies did not give consistent indications of which interventions may be effective. Carefully designed clinical trials are needed to clarify the effect of single and combined interventions.

Antidepressive Agents↗

Improving care for nursing home-acquired pneumonia in a managed care environment.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize care of nursing home residents who became ill with nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) in a group-model, nonprofit HMO, and to pilot-test a strategy to implement evidence-based NHAP care guidelines. STUDY DESIGN: Medical record review and intervention pilot test. METHODS: Nursing home medical records of 78 patients who developed NHAP in 6 homes where the HMO contracts for Medicare services were reviewed for demographics, functional status, comorbidity, NHAP severity, care processes, and guideline compliance. The intervention, combining organizational change (facilitating immunization and providing appropriate emergency antibiotics) and education (quarterly in-services for nursing and aide staff), was pilot-tested for 7 months in 1 facility. Measures of baseline and intervention guideline adherence at that facility were compared with Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Among the patients with NHAP, 83% had a response from their physician in less than 8 hours, 82% were treated with an antibiotic that met spectrum recommendations, and 74% were able to swallow were treated with oral antibiotics. However, few patients had documentation of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination; less than half the direct care staff had been vaccinated; and nursing assessments were incomplete for 23%. At the pilot-test facility, improvement was seen in influenza vaccination (14% to 52%, P = .01) and use of the most appropriate antibiotics (47% to 85%; P = .03). The guideline adherence score improved from 52% to 63% (P = .04). CONCLUSION: Use of a multidisciplinary, multifaceted intervention resulted in improvement in quality of care for nursing home residents who become ill with pneumonia.

Aged↗

Development of a urinary riboflavin adherence marker for a wheat bran fiber community intervention trial.

Development of a reliable marker of adherence to high-fiber diets is essential for accurately assessing dietary fiber intake in community interventions and clinical trials. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using a riboflavin tracer incorporated into wheat bran cereal to determine fiber intake and compare results to the more traditional methodology of measuring stool weight. The inpatient phase of the study established that the excretion of urinary riboflavin was highly correlated with the dose of the riboflavin-spiked wheat bran cereal (r = 0.95, P < 0.005) and could be used as a biomarker to validate fiber supplement intake. The outpatient clinical intervention included a group of seven African-American men and women, who were asked to incorporate 1/2 cup of wheat bran cereal (11.6 g of dietary fiber) into their daily diet for a 6-week period. The cereal was spiked with a 28-mg dose of riboflavin. Baseline measurements of urinary riboflavin and stool weight were compared to postintervention levels. Comparison of pre- and postintervention measures of riboflavin excretion showed a significant increase (0.8 +/- 0.1 versus 6.0 +/- 0.6 mg/day, P < 0.02), which confirmed a high level of adherence to the dietary intervention. Although wet stool weights at baseline were significantly lower than postintervention (106 +/- 20 versus 146 +/- 23 g/day; P < 0.03), differences in dry stool weights did not reach significant levels (28 +/- 4 versus 33 +/- 5 g/day, P < 0.30). Furthermore, pre- and poststool measurements overlapped and could not provide definitive data on participant adherence. These results indicate that the riboflavin tracer was a more sensitive biomarker of wheat bran fiber supplementation than stool weight and provided an accurate method for validating adherence to the dietary intervention. A riboflavin marker provides a valid technique for adherence assessment in large-scale community trials, in which collection of 3-day fecal samples is not a manageable option.

Aged↗

Adherence to TB preventive therapy for HIV-positive patients in rural South Africa: implications for antiretroviral delivery in resource-poor settings?

OBJECTIVES: To explore patient and health worker perspectives on adherence to tuberculosis preventive therapy (TBPT), and to derive lessons for improving access to care amongst human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals in resource-poor settings. DESIGN: Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed. Patient records were reviewed for HIV-positive individuals attending a hospital-based HIV clinic between January 2000 and March 2002. Eighteen patients and two health care workers underwent in-depth interviews exploring perspectives around adherence. RESULTS: Of 229 HIV-positive clinic attendees, 94 (41.0%) were eligible for TBPT. Of 87 patients initiating a 6-month TBPT course of isoniazid 300 mg daily, 41 (47.1%) completed TBPT. Of the 46 interrupters, 16 (34.7%) did not return to the clinic after receiving their first dose of TBPT. Barriers to adherence included fear of stigmatization, lack of money for food and transport, the belief that HIV is incurable, competition between Western and traditional medicine, and a reluctance to take medication in the absence of symptoms. Disclosure of HIV status, social and family support, and a supportive clinic environment positively influenced adherence. CONCLUSION: Interventions to improve the accessibility and quality of the care delivery system have the potential to support adherence to TBPT and other HIV care regimens, including antiretroviral therapy.

Adult↗

Controlled comparison of retention and adherence in home- vs center-initiated exercise interventions in women ages 40-65 years: The S.W.E.A.T. Study (Sedentary Women Exercise Adherence Trial).

BACKGROUND: In an 18-month exercise intervention in previously sedentary older women (40-65 years), we examined whether an initial 6 months of supervised exercise leads to greater long-term retention and adherence to regular physical activity than an unsupervised home-based program and whether these outcomes are influenced by the exercise intensity. METHODS: Women (N = 126) were recruited from the community and randomly assigned to either center-based or home-based exercise three times/week. The center-based group attended supervised sessions for 6 months, while after 10 initial sessions the home-based group exercised at home. After 6 months both groups were home-based for a further 12 months. Within each arm, subjects were further randomized to exercise at either moderate or vigorous intensity. RESULTS: The center-based group had higher retention than the home-based (97, 94, 81 versus 87, 76, and 61%) at 6, 12, and 18 months, respectively (P < 0.05). At 6 months, adherence was higher in the center-based group (84 versus 63%, P < 0.001) and energy expenditure was higher at 6 (P < 0.05) and 12 (P < 0.01) months. At 18 months, retention was higher with moderate exercise (P < 0.05), while adherence was similar with both intensities. CONCLUSION: An initial 6 months of center-based exercise enhanced retention in both the short and the long term and promoted short-term adherence and energy expenditure. Long-term, moderate exercise retained more subjects, but had little influence on adherence.

Adult↗

Therapeutic risk management interventions: feasibility and effectiveness.

OBJECTIVE: To review the effectiveness and feasibility of risk management strategies implemented for drugs with significant known risks. DATA SOURCES: Published medical literature and regulatory archives, including proceedings of Food and Drug Administration advisory committee meetings. Iterative searches of the medical literature, the Internet, and Web-based government information sources were conducted throughout 2002-2003. Search terms were related to risk management, drug safety, and the names of specific medications known to be subject to risk management programs. STUDY SELECTION: Key studies that illustrated examples of risk management and evaluated risk management programs were selected by the authors. DATA EXTRACTION: Performed manually by the authors. DATA SYNTHESIS: Much of the information regarding the effectiveness of risk management interventions in reducing risk is anecdotal; little information has been published. Given the demand for evidence-based clinical decision making, pharmaceutical manufacturers and the health care community must understand whether these programs are achieving their ultimate goals of reducing risks to patients, while making needed therapies available. This paucity of evidence points to new opportunities for researchers across disciplines to better understand the feasibility and effectiveness of these interventions and the impact of the interventions at the patient, practitioner, and public health levels. Such research needs to be published so that future programs and policy can be informed by these early examples. CONCLUSION: For interventions to be effective in reducing risk, they must effect change in physician prescribing, pharmacist dispensing, and patient adherence. Risk intervention programs that are overly burdensome to physicians, pharmacists, or patients are unlikely to succeed in achieving the desired outcome of reducing individual risk. In addition, risk management programs should be scaleable and implemented in a systematic fashion to accommodate multiple simultaneous programs that can effectively manage the risk, rather than through a piecemeal approach.

Drug Approval↗

Improving diabetes care through a multicomponent quality improvement model in a practice-based research network.

This article reports the impact of a multicomponent quality improvement intervention on adherence with 13 measures of diabetes care and a summary measure, the Diabetes Summary Quality Index (Diabetes-SQUID). The intervention was conducted between January 1, 2004, and July 1, 2005, within 66 primary care practices in 33 states, including 372 providers and 24 250 adult patients with diabetes. Across all practices, the average Diabetes-SQUID was 50.6% (10th percentile 36.5%, 90th percentile 63.0%) on January 1, 2004, and 58.4% (10th percentile 47.6%, 90th percentile 69.7%) on July 1, 2005, with an average absolute improvement of 7.8% (95% confidence interval, 5.9%-9.7%). Significant improvements occurred for 12 of the 13 individual measures: blood pressure and urine microalbumin monitoring; HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglyceride, and glycosylated hemoglobin measurements; prescription of antiplatelet therapy; and blood pressure, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, and glycosylated hemoglobin control. The findings suggest that a multicomponent intervention can have a robust impact on quality of care for diabetes.

Diabetes Mellitus↗

Intervention components, training dose, and adherence in exercise-based prevention of hamstring strain injury in football: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify associations between exercise-based prevention programmes and hamstring strain injury (HSI) risk in football participants, and whether training dose and adherence modify effects. METHODS: Six databases were searched to 1 October 2025. Randomised and cluster-randomised trials comparing HSI prevention programmes with usual practice or warm-up in football participants were included. Random-effects meta-analysis pooled risk ratios (RRs); subgroup analyses and meta-regression assessed effect modification. RESULTS: Fifteen trials (n = 7,465) were analysed. Programmes reduced HSI risk (RR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.36-0.71), with I&#xb2;=57% and a prediction interval crossing the null (0.18-1.40). Based on a control event rate of 7.8%, absolute risk reduction was 3.8% (38 fewer HSIs per 1000 participants; 95% CI 23-50 fewer). Effects were stronger for shorter interventions (1-6 months; RR = 0.43) than longer interventions (7-10 months; RR = 0.77; P for interaction=0.04), and for elite/semi-professional players (RR = 0.38) than amateur players (RR = 0.77; P for interaction = 0.02). Training frequency and weekly volume did not modify effects, whereas adherence did. High adherence (&#x2265;75%) was associated with lower HSI risk (RR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.28-0.48), whereas low adherence (<75%) showed no clear benefit (RR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.68-1.23; P for interaction <0.00001). Each 10% increase in adherence corresponded to an RR multiplier of 0.83 (approximately 17% lower RR). Certainty of evidence was low. CONCLUSION: Exercise-based programmes reduce HSI risk in football when implementation supports sustained adherence. Effects may be stronger in shorter interventions and elite populations, but evidence remains insufficient to differentiate programme types or components.

Humans↗

Population impact of stricter adherence to recommendations for pharmacological and lifestyle interventions over one year in patients with coronary heart disease.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the potential number of lives saved associated with the full implementation of aspects of the National Service Framework (NSF) for coronary heart disease (CHD) in England using recently developed population impact measures. DESIGN: Modelling study. SETTING: Primary care. DATA SOURCES: Published data on prevalence of acute myocardial infarction and heart failure, baseline risk of mortality, the relative risk reduction associated with different interventions and the proportion treated, eligible for treatment and adhering to each intervention. MAIN RESULTS: Adopting the NSF recommendations for pharmacological interventions would prevent an extra 1027 (95% CI 418 to 1994) deaths in post-acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients and an extra 37 899 (95% CI 25 690 to 52 503) deaths in heart failure patients in the first year after diagnosis. Lifestyle based interventions would prevent an extra 848 (95% CI 71 to 1 614) deaths in post-AMI patients and an extra 7249 (95% CI 995 to 16 696) deaths in heart failure patients. CONCLUSIONS: Moving from current to "best" practice as recommended in the NSF will have a much greater impact on one year mortality rates among heart failure patients compared with post-AMI patients. Meeting pharmacological based recommendations for heart failure patients will prevent more deaths than meeting lifestyle based recommendations. Population impact numbers can help communicate the impact on a population of the implementation of guidelines and, when created using local data, could help policy makers assess the local impact of implementing a range of health care targets.

Aged↗

Diabetes self-management among low-income Spanish-speaking patients: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes and diabetes-related morbidity and mortality is higher among low-income Hispanics when compared to that of Whites. However, little is known about how to effectively promote self-management in this population. PURPOSE: The objectives were first to determine the feasibility of conducting a randomized clinical trial of an innovative self-management intervention to improve metabolic control in low-income Spanish-speaking individuals with type 2 diabetes and second to obtain preliminary data of possible intervention effects. METHODS: Participants for this pilot study were recruited from a community health center, an elder program, and a community-wide database developed by the community health center, in collaboration with other agencies serving the community, by surveying households in the entire community. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 15) or a control (n = 10) condition. Assessments were conducted at baseline and at 3 months and 6 months postrandomization. The intervention consisted of 10 group sessions that targeted diabetes knowledge, attitudes, and self-management skills through culturally specific and literacy-sensitive strategies. The intervention used a cognitive-behavioral theoretical framework. RESULTS: Recruitment rates at the community health center, elder program, and community registry were 48%, 69%, and 8%, respectively. Completion rates for baseline, 3-month, and 6-month assessments were 100%, 92%, and 92%, respectively. Each intervention participant attended an average of 7.8 out of 10 sessions, and as a group the participants showed high adherence to intervention activities (93% turned in daily logs, and 80% self-monitored glucose levels at least daily). There was an overall Group x Time interaction (p = .02) indicating group differences in glycosylated hemoglobin over time. The estimated glycosylated hemoglobin decrease at 3 months for the intervention group was -0.8% (95% confidence intervals = -1.1%, -0.5%) compared with the change in the control group (p = .02). At 6 months, the decrease in the intervention group remained significant, -0.85% (95% confidence intervals = -1.2, -0.5), and the decrease was still significantly different from that of the controls (p = .005). There was a trend toward increased physical activity in the intervention group as compared to that of the control group (p = .11) and some evidence (nonsignificant) of an increase in blood glucose self-monitoring in the intervention participants but not the control participants. Adjusting for baseline depressive scores, we observed a significant difference in depressive symptoms between intervention participants and control participants at the 3-month assessment (p = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Low-income Spanish-speaking Hispanics are receptive to participate in diabetes-related research. This study shows that the pilot-tested diabetes self-management program is promising and warrants the conduct of a randomized clinical trial.

Aged↗

Differences between women and men with chronic renal disease.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to compare the participation of women and men in the protocols of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) study, a multicenter prospective randomized clinical trial, and to assess gender differences in their renal outcomes. METHODS: Of the 840 participants in the MDRD study, 332 (39.5%) were women who were assigned randomly to the dietary protein and blood pressure groups and followed for a median of 2.2 years. A subgroup analysis of the MDRD study database was carried out to compare women and men participants in recruitment, baseline characteristics, adherence to protocol requirements, safety and outcomes, and progression of renal disease and its response to dietary and blood pressure interventions. RESULTS: Adherence by women to the requirements of the protocol including diet, record keeping, office visits, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) measurements and urine collections was equivalent to that of men. Women had different renal diagnoses, less proteinuria and lower serum creatinine levels for given GFRs than men. When participants were grouped above and below age 52, the younger women had lower mean arterial pressure than did the men. Older women compared with younger had higher mean arterial pressure, body weight and body mass index, and total low density lipoprotein cholesterol. These differences were not seen between males of the same two age groups. During follow-up, the rate of GFR fall was slower in women, especially in the younger group. However, the association between gender and the rate of fall in GFR was attenuated and became non-significant after adjusting for differences in blood pressure, proteinuria and high density lipoprotein cholesterol. In analyses of the full cohort, there were no significant differences between women and men in the effects of the low protein or low blood pressure intervention in patients with either moderate (study A) or advanced (study B) renal disease. However, in subgroup analyses of patients in study A, there was some evidence of a lesser effect in women than in men. CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory analysis of the MDRD study indicates a slower mean GFR decline in women as compared with men. The slower mean GFR decline and suggestive evidence of a lesser beneficial effect of the low protein diet and low blood pressure interventions in women suggest that gender differences should be considered in trials of the effects of these interventions on the progression of renal disease. Also, the participation of women in the MDRD study was excellent and equivalent to that of men.

Adolescent↗

Comparison of tailored interventions to increase mammography screening in nonadherent older women.

BACKGROUND: Recent increases in mammography use have led to a decrease in mortality from breast cancer. METHODS: Building on the Health Belief Model, the Transtheoretical Model, and past effectiveness of tailored interventions, we conducted a prospective randomized trial (n = 773) to test the efficacy on mammography adherence of tailored interventions delivered by five different methods, i.e., telephone counseling, in-person counseling, physician letter, and combinations of telephone with letter and in-person with letter. RESULTS: All five interventions increased mammography adherence significantly relative to usual care (odds ratios, 1.93 to 3.55) at 6 months post intervention. The combination of in-person with physician letter was significantly more effective than telephone alone or letter alone. Women thinking about getting a mammogram at baseline were more likely to be adherent by 6 months; even those in usual care achieved 48% adherence compared with 50-70% in the intervention groups. In contrast, women not thinking about getting a mammogram needed the interventions to increase their adherence from 13% to over 30%. CONCLUSIONS: All five interventions were effective at increasing mammography adherence. Women not thinking about getting a mammogram were most likely to benefit from these tailored interventions while other women might need less intensive interventions.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Motivational interviewing for improving adherence to antiretroviral medications.

Many interventions have been developed to address barriers to antiretroviral medication adherence, but few have focused on motivation, a fundamental component of behavior change. Research on other health behavior changes and a few pilot studies investigating motivational interviewing (MI) for adherence to antiretroviral medication suggests that MI may be highly beneficial by helping to motivate patients with HIV to adhere to their medications. Existing research, although limited, suggests that MI combined with other interventions is feasible and efficacious for improving adherence to antiretroviral medications. With continued development and refinement of antiretroviral adherence interventions that incorporate MI, more persons with HIV infection can be expected to choose to make the difficult changes necessary for them to benefit from antiretroviral therapy.

Adult↗

Depression in the older adult: recognition and nursing intervention.

The importance of identifying and intervening in elders with depression cannot be underestimated. The baby boom population is reaching the chronological milestone of being considered older age, which means that the percentage of older adults with depression will result in increased numbers of depressed older adults in all settings needing nursing care. Nurses must be able to recognize symptoms of depression, whether subsyndromal depression or major depression, to be able to intervene effectively. Depressive symptoms interfere with the quality of life and respond to nursing interventions that address psychosocial functioning including loss, educational strategies to increase understanding of depression as a disease, its treatment and adherence strategies, interventions that monitor and improve chronic medical illness, and recognize medication management that has the least likelihood of side effects. The importance of psychotherapies was not stressed above due to limitations in space, but in addition to problem solving therapy, cognitive and interpersonal supportive therapies are also effective. Electroconvulsive therapy is also effective in treating depression in the elderly when the patient is suicidal.

Aged↗