Investigators: Sochanny Hak, Co-I, Chandore Khuon, Co-I, Dane So, Co-I, John McAndrew, Co-I.
Description:
This Analyzing Development Issues (ADI) study seeks to examine the role of parents and family members in assisting the treatment of antiretroviral therapy (ART) recipients. The success of ART depends on the recipient’s strict adherence to a lifelong regimen of taking medicines regularly and on time. The potential of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) support groups to encourage and monitor ART adherence has been recognized. Less notice has been given to family members and parents although they appear to be well placed to support adherence on a daily basis and over long periods of time. In May 2008 a one page survey questionnaire was administered to 382 ART recipients in six communes of Banteay Meanchey province mainly by home based care team members to gauge the contributions of family members and parents to encourage and monitor ART adherence.
The research revealed that a majority of ART recipients live with children and with spouses. More than one-fourth of ART recipients live with parents. Family members who live with ART recipients play an important role in reminding them to take ART. Most ART recipients have a living parent and the majority of living parents reside with or near them. More than two-thirds of the living parents helped ART recipients to get and prepare medicines. Almost two-thirds of parents who co-reside with ART recipients remind them often to take ART. The study indicates that the full potential of family members and parents in treatment adherence programs for ART recipients has yet to be realized. Government and NGO home based care programs should take steps to maximize the role of family members and parents through the provision of information sharing, training and back-up support
Coverage: Cambodia.