This study using a quantitative, descriptive design with a questionnaire investigated cultural, religious and social factors that might impact on ARV treatment in HIV/AIDS-infected women in Botswana. The study found that the majority never missed any doses, a few missed doses once or twice, and a small minority missed more than three times. The respondents’ perception of cultural influence on treatment of HIV/AIDS in women revealed that the majority (70%) believe culture has an influence on the treatment. Social factors also impacted on ARV adherence. A few of the respondents indicated that side effects and the number of pills prevented ARV medication adherence. The main reason for non-adherence, however, was forgetfulness. There had been an improvement in the majority of the respondents’ health status and quality of life. Maximizing adherence is essential. Providers and patients both have responsibilities in this regard. / Health Studies / M.A.(Health Studies)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive autoimmune disease causing inflammation of the synovium resulting in severe pain, joint disfigurement and disability as well as malaise, fatigue and a depressed immune system. Treatment consists of three broad phases; firstly, following diagnosis treatment is focussed on rapid reduction of pain and inflammation. Secondly, maintenance of quiescence is sought through medication. Finally, if disease activity remains high despite medication, escalation to anti-TNF α therapy is required to prevent permanent joint damage and disability. The primary course of treatment is prescription of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) within 3 months of onset of symptoms. However, DMARDs can take 8-12 weeks to exhibit a noticeable benefit whereas unpleasant side effects can occur shortly after initiation. Also, DMARDs do not alleviate pain; therefore it is difficult for patients to attribute recovery to this medication. For these reasons, although it is imperative for future health and functioning to take DMARDs as prescribed, non-adherence is common at 30-50%. Non-adherence to treatment can be intentional, where a decision is made not to conform to the prescription, or unintentional which is often due to forgetting. To measure intentional non-adherence, a validated measure of adherence for rheumatoid arthritis was reduced through exploratory factor analysis from 19 items to 5 items by removing items that did not add to the explained variance of adherence. The CQR5 explained 53% of the variance in adherence and was shown to have a good fit to the data through confirmatory factor analysis. A discriminant function equation was generated that correctly identifies 88.5% of patients as high or low adherers and has high clinical utility due to the brevity for patients and unidimensionality for easy interpretation. The CQR5 was used throughout the programme of research to measure intentional non-adherence along with a separate measure of unintentional non-adherence. Four commonly used social cognition models of illness were measured in 227 RA patients to determine which had the best utility for predicting non-adherence to DMARDs. Patients were recruited to represent the three stages of illness including newly diagnosed, established on DMARD therapy and established with concurrent anti-TNF α therapy. Logistic regression analysis showed that the Self Regulatory Model best predicted intentional non-adherence as patients with perceptions of worse consequences of RA and longer disease duration were more likely to be highly adherent to DMARDs in cross-sectional analysis. In contrast, the Theory of Planned Behaviour better predicted patients who self-reported forgetting their DMARDs with patients with more confidence in being able to take their medications (Perceived Behavioural Control) being less likely to forget. 171 patients were successfully followed-up six months after baseline recruitment. The longitudinal results showed that the social cognition models differed for patients at different stages of the illness suggesting that their experience of living with rheumatoid arthritis influenced perceptions of their illness and medications. Newly diagnosed patients scored lower on factors measuring perceptions of disease chronicity and seriousness whereas patients that had escalated to anti-TNF α therapy scored higher on these factors. The newly diagnosed patients also showed more variability in the social cognition scores whereas the more established patients demonstrated stable models of illness. This supports Leventhal’s (1992) theory that illness representations will be regulated through integration of knowledge and experience of an illness. Structural equation modelling was used to establish the best predictors of intentional non-adherence at six month follow-up. In support of research in other chronic illnesses (Horne & Weinman, 2002; Niklas, Dunbar & Wild, 2010), the effect of perceptions of the consequences and chronicity of the illness on adherence are mediated by perceptions of the necessity of the medication. In addition, the impact of the emotional reaction to the illness on adherence to DMARDs is mediated by concerns about the medication. In addition, this study incorporated factors from the Theory of Planned Behaviour to explain medication adherence and found that the influence of friends and family impacts on the patient’s confidence to follow the prescription accurately which in turn as an effect on adherence to DMARDs. This large longitudinal study found that by combining factors from a number of social cognition models, it is possible to explain and predict intentional non-adherence and provides some evidence for best ways to intervene to improve adherence and prognosis. To provide a more comprehensive and clinically useful picture of non-adherence, a Cost of Illness study was carried which found that patients self-reporting low adherence to DMARDs also had significantly higher costs for this medication. This was caused by an increased incidence of Leflunamide prescribing for patients who often forget their medication and was maintained longitudinally. This association has not been previously reported in the literature and provides some evidence that non-adherence to DMARDs is having a concrete effect on the clinical management of patients. Finally, an SMS text message based reminder service designed to remind patients who self-report forgetting their medications was tested through a simulation study for the cost and likely benefit in health related quality of life using the health economic analysis of the longitudinal study and the results of a survey establishing the feasibility of implementing such a service in the rheumatology clinic. A sensitivity analysis testing the number of messages sent and the cost per message found that a reminder service for the sample of patients in this programme of research would cost between £1387.00 and £142.27 per year. This would equate to a cost per Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) gain of between £2889.58 and £296.40 by enabling patients to adhere more rigorously to their DMARD regimen. This programme of research is the first to test four commonly used social cognition models to predict adherence to DMARDs in a large, multi-centre longitudinal study of rheumatoid arthritis patients. Perceptions of the likely duration and consequences of the illness, as measured by the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire and the necessity of medications (measured by the Beliefs about Medications Questionnaire) along with self-efficacy (measured by the Theory of Planned Behaviour) explained 24% of the variance in intentional adherence over six months. The results show the importance of considering intentional and unintentional non-adherence separately as they appear to have different underlying mechanisms as well as patients in different phases of the illness as their experience influences their social cognition models of illness. A simple SMS based reminder service could act as a cue to action to reduce unintentional non-adherence whereas addressing issues surrounding maladaptive perceptions about the illness and the treatment could improve intentional non-adherence which has the potential to improve the prognosis and quality of life for patients as well as safe costs for the NHS.

This study using a quantitative, descriptive design with a questionnaire investigated cultural, religious and social factors that might impact on ARV treatment in HIV/AIDS-infected women in Botswana. The study found that the majority never missed any doses, a few missed doses once or twice, and a small minority missed more than three times. The respondents’ perception of cultural influence on treatment of HIV/AIDS in women revealed that the majority (70%) believe culture has an influence on the treatment. Social factors also impacted on ARV adherence. A few of the respondents indicated that side effects and the number of pills prevented ARV medication adherence. The main reason for non-adherence, however, was forgetfulness. There had been an improvement in the majority of the respondents’ health status and quality of life. Maximizing adherence is essential. Providers and patients both have responsibilities in this regard. / Health Studies / M.A.(Health Studies)

Introdução: A Organização Mundial da Saúde recomenda que a terapia antirretroviral deva ter início imediato para todos os portadores do HIV independente da presença ou ausência de sintomas da Aids. Esta nova diretriz tem como base que o início precoce da terapia antirretroviral estimula o sistema imune, diminui o risco de morbimortalidade associadas ao HIV e reduz o risco de transmissão Objetivo: analisar adesão de portadores do HIV submetidos precocemente à terapia antirretroviral. Hipótese: Portadores do HIV assintomáticos apresentam baixa adesão quando submetidos à terapia antirretroviral precocemente, decorrente dos efeitos colaterais da medicação. Método: Estudo transversal, descritivo, prospectivo com abordagem quantitativa. Os dados foram obtidos por entrevista individual com formulário para levantamento das características sociodemográficas e para avaliar adesão à terapia antirretroviral, foi utilizada a adaptação brasileira do Cuestionario para la Evaluación de la Adhesión al Tratamiento Antiretroviral CEAT-VIH. Para interpretação, compreensão e estruturação das análises do fenômeno foi adotado o referencial teórico da vulnerabilidade. A análise dos dados foi processada no Software Stata 13.1®. As variáveis foram analisadas por meio de frequência absoluta e relativa (frequência simples, média e desvio padrão) e de acordo com os resultados, o teste do Qui-quadrado de Pearson. Resultado: Entre os 53 entrevistados, 81,1% foram classificados como aderentes e 18,9% como não aderentes. Predominou a população masculina e a faixa etária de 25 a 44 anos, a cor branca e boa escolaridade. Os determinantes da adesão a TARV foram: maior escolaridade, estar casado ou morar com família e boa relação médico/paciente, para a não adesão foram: sentir-se melhor após o início do tratamento, falta de apoio das pessoas do convívio social e ciência do parceiro sobre a soropositvidade. Ao que se refere a vulnerabilidade nas três dimensões, verificou-se que na dimensão individual: falta de conhecimento sobre os medicamentos em uso, presença de rede de apoio social e mudança de comportamento social (sexo sem preservativo), foram os que mais influenciaram para a não adesão. Na dimensão social, vínculo interpessoal com familiares e amigos íntimos, influenciou positivamente a adesão. Programaticamente, verificou-se que a estrutura oferecida aos usuários foi considerada adequada e contribuíram para a adesão. Conclusão: O estudo mostrou a necessidade de pesquisas acerca da adesão a TARV, em pacientes submetidos precocemente ao tratamento, com outros instrumentos, em outros Centros de Referencias, com número maior de portadores, para avaliar este programa terapêutico, visto que esse é o último consenso em termos de terapia e o uso prolongado associado aos efeitos colaterais, são fatores que podem interferir na adesão. / Introduction: The World Health Organization recommends that antiretroviral therapy (ART) should start immediately for all HIV patients regardless of the presence or absence of AIDS symptoms. This new guideline is based on the fact that the early initiation of antiretroviral therapy stimulates the immune system, reduces the risk of HIV-associated morbidity and mortality, and reduces the risk of its transmission. Objective: To analyze the adherence of HIV patients under early submission to antiretroviral therapy. Hypothesis: Asymptomatic HIV carriers have low adherence when submitted to antiretroviral therapy early due to the side effects of the medication. Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive prospective study with a quantitative approach. The data were obtained through individual interviews with a form to collect sociodemographic characteristics and to evaluate adherence to the antiretroviral therapy. An adapted Brazilian version of the Cuestionario para la Evaluación de la Adhesión al Tratamiento Antiretroviral CEAT-VIH (Questionnaire for the Evaluation of Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy) was used. For the interpretation, understanding and structuring of the analyses of the phenomenon, the theoretical framework of vulnerability was adopted. Data analysis was processed in Stata 13.1® Software. The variables were analyzed by means of absolute and relative frequency (simple frequency, mean and standard deviation) and according to the results, the Pearson\'s Chi-square test. Results: Among the 53 interviewees, 81.1% were classified as adherents and 18.9% were non-adherents. The predominant people were male, aged between 25 and 44, white, and well educated. The determinants of adherence to ART were: greater schooling, being married or living with family and good doctor/patient relationship. Those ones for non-adherence were: feeling better after starting the treatment, lack of support from people from their social interaction and their partners awareness on the seropositivity. Vulnerability can be considered in three dimensions. In the individual dimension, lack of knowledge about the drugs in use, presence of a social support network, and social behavior change (sex without a condom) were the factors that mostly influenced the non-adhesion. In the social dimension, interpersonal bonding with family and close friends positively influenced the adhesion. Programmatically, it was verified that the structure offered to the users was considered adequate and contributed to the adhesion. Conclusion: The study showed the need for research on ART adherence in patients submitted to treatment early with other instruments in other Reference Centers with a greater number of patients in order to evaluate this therapeutic program, since this is the last consensus in terms of therapy. Prolonged use associated with side effects are factors that may interfere with adherence.

Estudo experimental com designação aleatória em dois grupos (Intervenção ou Controle) que avaliou a qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde e a adesão ao tratamento medicamentoso de pacientes que internaram para o ajuste da dosagem do anticoagulante oral, segundo a participação em um programa educativo (Grupo Intervenção - GI) ou cuidado de rotina (Grupo Controle - GC). Os grupos também foram comparados segundo a autoeficácia geral e presença de sintomas de ansiedade e de depressão em dois momentos: na internação (T1) e dois meses após a alta hospitalar (T2). O estudo foi desenvolvido em um hospital público do interior do Estado de São Paulo, de março de 2011 a dezembro de 2012. Foram considerados elegíveis para o estudo 113 pacientes, aleatorizados em GC (n=58) e GI (n=55). A aleatorização foi realizada após a estratificação pelo The Outpatient Bleeding Risk Index conforme o risco de sangramento (baixo, médio e alto risco). Os pacientes que participaram do programa educativo receberam orientações individualizadas, com uso de materiais ilustrativos na internação. Após a alta as orientações eram feitas por contatos telefônicos realizados na primeira e quarta semanas. Para a avaliação das variáveis de interesse foram utilizadas as versões validadas para o português do Brasil dos instrumentos Duke Anticoagulation Satisfaction Scale, Medidas de Adesão ao Tratamento, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale e General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale. Ao final dos dois meses de seguimento, completaram o seguimento 44 participantes no GC (75,8% dos participantes em T1) e 38 no GI (69,1%). Os dados foram avaliados por estatística descritiva e de comparação das médias das variáveis de interesse entre os grupos (t de Student independente) e intragrupos (teste t de Student pareado), na internação e dois meses após a alta. O nível de significância adotado foi de 0,05. Na comparação dos grupos de pacientes que completaram ou não o seguimento, verificamos semelhanças sociodemográficas, clínicas e relacionadas à terapia de anticoagulação oral. Essas semelhanças também foram observadas ao compararmos os grupos, controle e intervenção, durante a internação. Com relação à qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde, adesão ao tratamento, sintomas de ansiedade e depressão e autoeficácia, os resultados obtidos constatam semelhanças entre GC e GI tanto em T1 quanto em T2, não confirmando as hipóteses do nosso estudo para T2. Em T2, não foi possível confirmar as diferenças entre as medidas de QVRS (p=0,65), adesão (p =0,89), ansiedade (p=0,20), depressão (p=0,27) e autoeficácia (p=0,65), considerando a participação no programa educativo. Diante dos resultados obtidos no presente estudo concluímos que para os pacientes que já possuem a experiência anterior do uso do anticoagulante oral a estratégia educativa utilizada não foi eficiente para melhorar as variáveis respostas escolhidas. Esse resultado, do ponto de vista clínico, tem uma relevante importância para os profissionais da saúde que assistem esta população de usuários de anticoagulantes orais. Nossa afirmação se pauta no conhecimento produzido por estudo anterior realizado pelo nosso grupo de pesquisa, o qual obteve resultados estatisticamente significantes e melhores para o grupo intervenção. Ao compararmos as populações dos dois estudos, ambos realizados na mesma instituição hospitalar, temos/percebemos que há diferença entre elas apenas na variável tempo de uso do medicamento. Assim, o profissional deve considerar que o tempo que o paciente faz uso do medicamento é um fator decisivo na escolha da estratégia educativa que deverá utilizar / Experimental study with random distribution in two groups (Intervention or Control), which assessed the health-related quality of life and medication treatment adherence of patients who were hospitalized to adjust the oral anticoagulation drug dosage, according to their participation in an educational group (Intervention Group - IG) or in routine care (Control Group - CG). The groups were also compared according to their general self-efficacy and presence of anxiety and depression symptoms at two times: upon hospitalization (T1) and two months after discharge from hospital (T2). The study was developed at a public hospital in the interior of São Paulo State, Brazil, from March 2011 till December 2012. In total, 113 patients were considered eligible for the study, randomized between CG (N=58) and IG (N=55). The randomization took place after the patients\' stratification into low, medium and high bleeding risk, according to The Outpatient Bleeding Risk Index. The patients who participated in the educative program received individualized orientations, using illustrative material, during the hospitalization. After discharge, the orientations were provided through telephone contact during the first and fourth week. To assess the research variables, the versions of the Duke Anticoagulation Satisfaction Scale, Treatment Adherence Measures, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale validated for Brazilian Portuguese were used. After two months of monitoring, 44 participants completed the follow- up in CG (75.8% of participants at T1) and 38 in IG (69.1%). The data were assessed by means of descriptive statistics and comparison of means for the variables of interest between the groups (independent Student\'s t) and intra-groups (paired Student\'s t-test), upon the hospitalization and two months after discharge. The significance level adopted was 0.05. When comparing the patient groups that completed the follow-up or not, we found similarities in sociodemographic and clinical variables and related to the oral anticoagulation therapy. These similarities were also observed when comparing the control and intervention groups during the hospitalization. As regards the health-related quality of life, treatment adherence, anxiety and depression symptoms and self-efficacy, the results reveal similarities between CG and IG at T1 and T2, not confirming our study hypotheses for T2. At T2, the differences in the HRQoL (p=0.65), adherence (p=0.89), anxiety (p=0.20), depression (p=0.27) and self- efficacy (p=0.65) scores could not be confirmed when considering the participation in the educative program. In view of the results obtained in the present study, we conclude that, for patients with previous experience in oral anticoagulation treatment, the educative strategy used was not efficient to improve the selected response variables. From the clinical viewpoint, this result is relevant for the health professionals who deliver care to this population of oral anticoagulation drug users. Our assertion is based on the knowledge produced in an earlier study by our research group, which found statistically significant and better results for the intervention group. When comparing the populations in both studies, which were undertaken at the same hospital, the sole difference relates to the length of the medication intake. Therefore, professionals should consider the usage length of the medication as a decisive factor in the choice of the educative strategy they will adopt

Introdução: A má adesão à terapia anti-hipertensiva medicamentosa é uma causa frequente de dificuldade de controle da pressão arterial. A prevalência de hipertensão resistente (HR) verdadeira não é conhecida pela dificuldade de estimar de maneira precisa a adesão ao tratamento medicamento anti-hipertensivo prescrito na prática clínica. Objetivos: Comparar os métodos direto e indiretos de avaliação da adesão ao tratamento anti-hipertensivo em pacientes com HR, medir a adesão ao tratamento medicamentoso pelo método direto em pacientes com HR, estimar a prevalência de HR verdadeira e identificar características clínico-demográficas associadas à adesão. Métodos: Foram recrutados pacientes com HR, definida como Pressão Arterial (PA) de consultório não controlada (PA Sistólica > 140 mmHg e/ou PA Diastólica > 90 mmHg), usando três ou mais classes de anti-hipertensivos em doses plenas, sendo um diurético; ou com PA de consultório controlada (PA Sistólica < 140 mmHg e PA Diastólica < 90 mmHg), usando quatro ou mais classes de anti-hipertensivos. O método direto de avaliação da adesão consistiu na análise de amostras de urina contendo os anti-hipertensivos prescritos pela técnica de cromatografia líquida de alta pressão (High Pressure Liquid Chromatography Mass - HPLC). As análises foram feitas em quatro oportunidades diferentes, com intervalo médio de 30 dias entre as coletas. Para comparação, foram realizados concomitantemente cinco métodos indiretos de avaliação da adesão: contagem de comprimidos (CTG CP), questionário de adesão MMAS-8, impressão médica, avaliação do farmacêutico e do próprio paciente. Foram considerados pacientes aderentes pelo método direto aqueles que apresentaram todos os anti-hipertensivos prescritos em pelo menos 3 das 4 amostras de urina coletadas; consumo >= 80% dos comprimidos pela CTG CP; pontuação >= 7 no questionário MMAS-8 e nota >= 4 nas avaliações médica, farmacêutica e do próprio paciente. Para a avaliação da concordância entre os métodos foi utilizado o coeficiente de correlação de Kappa (CCK). Resultados: 50 pacientes com HR foram recrutados: 68% mulheres, com idade média de 55,1 anos (± 8,2 anos), índice de massa corpórea 29 (± 3,3 kg/m2), PA de Consultório 149/86 mmHg (± 26/15 mmHg), PA de 24 horas pela Monitoração Ambulatorial da Pressão Arterial (MAPA) de 127/82 mmHg (± 19/11 mmHg) e número de classes de anti-hipertensivos prescritos por paciente de 4,6 (± 0,7). A frequência de não adesão encontrada pelo método direto foi de 66%. Classificando os pacientes de acordo com a adesão e o controle da PA pela MAPA, 42% foram considerados pseudo-hipertensos resistentes por má adesão e apenas 18% hipertensos resistentes verdadeiros. A concordância entre os métodos avaliados foi baixa de acordo com o CCK, variando de não existente [métodos CTG CP (-0,040), impressão farmacêutica (-0,040) e do paciente (-0,132)] a mínima [questionário MMAS-8 (0,055) e impressão médica (0,126)]. Nenhuma das características clínicodemográficas avaliadas mostrou qualquer associação com a adesão pelo método direto. Conclusão: A prevalência de não adesão é alta em pacientes com HR, sendo esta, provavelmente, a principal causa de resistência ao tratamento antihipertensivo. Os métodos de adesão indiretos avaliados não apresentaram concordância com o método direto, devendo ser questionável sua utilização como ferramenta de medida de adesão na prática clínica / Background: Poor adherence to antihypertensive therapy is a frequent cause of resistant hypertension (RH). The real prevalence of true RH is still unknown due to the difficulty to accurately estimating adherence to the antihypertensive drug in clinical practice. Objective: Compare the direct and indirect methods of assessing adherence to hypertension treatment, measure the adherence to the drug treatment by the direct method in patients with RH, estimate the prevalence of true RH and to identify clinical and demographic characteristics associated with adherence. Methods: Patients with RH were enrolled: office blood pressure (BP) above goal (systolic BP > 140mmHg and/or diastolic BP > 90mmHg), taking three or more antihypertensive drugs of different classes at optimal dose, which one of them should be a diuretic; or office BP below goal (systolic BP < 140mmHg and/or diastolic BP< 90mmHg), taking four or more antihypertensive drugs. Adherence was assessed by direct method of High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis for antihypertensive drugs, in 4 different urine samples, in a 30-day interval. For comparison, five indirect methods of adherence assessment were performed simultaneously: pill count, MMAS-8 questionnaire, patient self-report, physician judgement and pharmaceutical judgement. Patient was considered adherent by direct method if every antihypertensive drug was found in 3 urine samples at least; if he consumed 80% of prescribed medication at least; if he reached score >= 7 on the MMAS-8; >= 4 on self-report, physician judgement and pharmaceutical judgement. Kappa correlation coefficient (KCC) was performed to evaluate the agreement between the methods. Results: 50 patients with HR were enrolled: 68% women, mean age 55,1 ± 8,2 years, body mass index 29 ± 3,3 kg/m2, office BP 149/86 ± 26/15 mmHg, mean 24 hs by Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) 127/82 ± 19/11 mmHg and average of antihypertensive druhs prescribed 4,6 ± 0,7 classes. 66% of patients were non-adherent by direct method: 42% classified as pseudoresistant hypertensive patients due to low adherence and only 18% as true resistant hypertensive. Agreement between methods was low according to KCC, ranging from non-existent [pill count (-0,040), pharmaceutical judgement (-0,040) and self-report (-0,132)] to minimum [MMAS-8 questionnaire (0,055) and physician judgement (0,126)]. There is no association between clinical and demographic characteristics and adherence by direct methods. Conclusion: The prevalence of non-adherence is high in patients with RH, which is probably the main cause of resistance to antihypertensive treatment. The indirect adherence methods evaluated did not show agreement with the direct method, and its use as a tool to measure adherence in clinical practice should be questionable

A adesão ao tratamento pode ser conceituada como o grau de concordância entre o comportamento de uma pessoa em relação às orientações do médico ou de outro profissional de saúde. O baixo grau de adesão pode afetar negativamente a evolução clínica do paciente e a sua qualidade de vida, constituindo-se em problema relevante, que pode trazer consequências pessoais, sociais e econômicas. A tese aqui apresentada aborda a adesão tratamento medicamentoso, analisando dois contextos de extrema importância epidemiológica: os fatores associados a baixa adesão ao tratamento medicamentoso em uma população idosa residente na comunidade e os determinantes da adesão ao tratamento anti-hipertensivo por pacientes hipertensos acompanhados pela Estratégia Saúde da família (ESF). Os resultados apresentados são de dois estudos distintos, realizados no município de Bagé, RS, em 2008 e 2010, respectivamente. O primeiro estudo foi transversal de base populacional, com amostra representativa de 1.593 idosos entrevistados em seus domicílios. A baixa adesão referida ao tratamento medicamentoso foi mensurada através do Brief Medication Questionaire (BMQ) e verificada a sua associação em relação aos fatores demográficos e socioeconômicos, comportamentais e de saúde, assistência e prescrição. No segundo estudo amostra foi composta por 1.588 indivíduos hipertensos adultos e idosos residentes na área de abrangência urbana da ESF do município. Os dados também foram coletados através de entrevistas domiciliares. Para mensuração da adesão ao tratamento anti-hipertensivo foram utilizados dois instrumentos de adesão referida pelo paciente, o Brief Medication Questionaire (BMQ) e o Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, 8- items (MMAS-8) e analisada a associação em relação aos fatores demográficos e socioeconômicos, comportamentais e de saúde e também relativos à assistência ao paciente e a prescrição de medicamentos antihipertensivos. Para a análise das associações foi utilizado modelo de regressão de Poisson para estimar as razões de prevalência bruta e ajustada, os respectivos intervalos com 95% de confiança e p-valor (teste de Wald). Do total de idosos entrevistados, 1.247 referiram ter usado algum medicamento nos últimos sete dias, e destes, cerca de um terço (28,7%) foram considerados com baixa adesão ao tratamento. Os fatores estatisticamente associados a baixa adesão ao tratamento foram: idade (65 a 74 anos), não ter plano de saúde, ter que comprar (totalmente ou em parte) os seus medicamentos, ter três ou mais morbidades, possuir 10 incapacidade instrumental para a vida diária e usar três ou mais medicamentos. Em relação ao segundo estudo, 1588 hipertensos foram entrevistados, onde a prevalência de pacientes aderentes ao tratamento foi de 19,1% pelo BMQ e 48,1% foram considerados com níveis de alta adesão pelo MMAS-8. Os principais fatores associados à adesão ao tratamento antihipertensivo avaliado pelo BMQ foram: renda maior que um salário mínimo, melhor autopercepção de saúde, ter menor número de morbidades e menor número de anti-hipertensivos utilizados. Os níveis de alta adesão ao tratamento pelo MMAS-8 foram associados a maior idade, melhor autopercepção de saúde e maior vínculo com a equipe assistencial. Os resultados aqui apresentados reforçam que a elevação da frequência de doenças crônico-degenerativas que acomete os idosos, o seu processo de envelhecimento que predispõe a incapacidade funcional, a dificuldade no acesso ao tratamento e a utilização aumentada de medicamentos são fatores importantes que devem ser considerados pelos profissionais de saúde visando a promoção da adesão ao tratamento nesta faixa etária e aumentando a resolutividade terapêutica e a qualidade de vida destes pacientes. E enfatiza que a equipe de saúde pode contribuir para melhorar a adesão dos pacientes ao tratamento anti-hipertensivo, prescrevendo regimes menos complexos, explicando os benefícios e efeitos colaterais dos medicamentos, e principalmente fortalecendo o vínculo com o paciente em um processo compartilhado permanente de cuidado em relação a sua saúde. / Adherence to treatment can be construed as the level of agreement of an individual's behavior towards the guidelines provided by a doctor or other health professional. Low levels of adherence might affect negatively both the patient's clinical progression as well as his quality of life, which represents a relevant problem that might entail personal, social and economic consequences. The present thesis addresses the issue Adherence to Medical Treatment by analyzing two crucial epidemiological contexts: factors related to low adherence to medical treatment within the elderly population living in a specific community and the determining factors of adherence to antihypertensive treatment of patients assisted by the Family Health Strategy (FHS). The findings presented refer to two different studies carried out in the municipality of Bagé, Rio Grande do Sul, in 2008 and 2010 respectively. The first was a cross-sectional population-based study, with a representative sample of 1.593 elderly citizens interviewed in their households. Low adherence to medical treatment was assessed through the Brief Medication Questionnaire (BMQ) and associated to demographic, socioeconomic and behavioral determiners, as well as health, assistance and prescription factors. The second study was also a cross-sectional study with a sample of 1.588 adult and senior hypertensive patients living in the urban area covered by the municipality’s FHS. The data were collected through household interviews as well. In order to measure adherence to antihypertensive treatment, there was a twofold tool responded by the patients themselves, the Brief Medication Questionnaire (BMQ) and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, 8-items (MMAS-8) and further association with demographic, socioeconomic and behavioral variables, as well as those related to patient assistance and prescription of antihypertensive medicaments. Analyses were carried out using the Poisson regression model to assess crude and adjusted prevalence ratios, with their respective 95% confidence and p-values intervals (Wald test). From the total number of the elderly interviewed, 1.247 claimed to have taken some kind of medicine in the previous seven days, and among these, approximately one third (28.7%) were considered to have low adherence to the treatment. The statistical factors associated to low adherence to treatment were: age (65 to 74 years old), not having a health plan, having to purchase (totally or partially) their own medicines, having three or more morbidities, having functional disabilities and using three or more medicines. Regarding the second study, 1.588 hypertensive patients were interviewed, with the prevalence of patients joining the treatment being 19.1% according to the BMQ and 48.1% with a high level of adherence according to the MMAS-8. The main factors related to higher or lower adherence to the antihypertensive treatment as per the BMQ were: income higher than the minimum wage, better health selfawareness, less comorbidity and fewer antihypertensive drugs used. Higher 12 taxes of adherence to the treatment as per the MMAS-8 were related to older age, better health self-awareness and greater bond to the health team. The results here presented reinforce the fact that the rise of chronic-degenerative diseases that affect the elderly, the ageing process that leads to functional disability, the difficulty to gain access to the treatment and the increased use of medicaments are crucial factors that should be considered by health professionals, aiming at fostering adherence to treatment and increasing therapeutic solutions and quality of life of said patients. In addition, they highlight that the health team can contribute to increase patient adherence to the antihypertensive treatment, by prescribing less strict and complex diets, by explaining the benefits and side effects of the medicaments, and most importantly, by strengthening the bond with the patient, participating actively in the health care process.

A adesão do paciente à terapia antirretroviral é essencial para alcançar os objetivos do tratamento. A taxa de adesão do conjunto de pacientes de um serviço pode ser compreendida como medida proxy da qualidade dos serviços. Realizou-se uma pesquisa avaliativa de caráter qualitativo sobre a aplicabilidade do Questionário Qualiaids de Monitoramento da Adesão ao Tratamento Antirretroviral (WebAd-Q) para uso rotineiro nos serviços. Duas dimensões orientaram o delineamento do estudo: Dimensão de Utilização - que se refere à experiência dos profissionais de utilização do WebAd-Q no ambiente de pesquisa; e Dimensão de Utilidade - que se refere à opinião dos profissionais sobre a importância de conhecer a adesão do conjunto de pacientes e a potencialidade do WebAd-Q para auxiliar a gestão dos serviços. Participaram sete serviços: quatro foram classificados como Serviço de Atenção Especializada (SAE); dois são ambulatórios inseridos em grandes hospitais; e o último é um ambulatório que funciona em Unidade Básica de Saúde (UBS). Foram entrevistados 22 profissionais que atuam na assistência, além dos sete gerentes dos serviços. Foi utilizado um roteiro de entrevista semiestruturado; as entrevistas foram gravadas em áudio, transcritas na íntegra e submetidas à análise temática de conteúdo. Os serviços apresentam diferenças de porte, estrutura e modalidades assistenciais oferecidas, mas são semelhantes na composição das equipes, na organização do trabalho e no modo de gerenciamento. Para os profissionais, a (não) adesão é um problema complexo, multideterminado e de difícil compreensão, cuja solução, muitas vezes, está além das suas possibilidades de intervenção. O WebAd-Q foi avaliado como um questionário simples, simpático, objetivo e de fácil compreensão e manuseio para profissionais e usuários. Além disso, não apresenta dificuldades operacionais para sua implantação. Alguns atributos bastante valorizados são: poder ser respondido anonimamente, combinar linguagens de vídeo e áudio, e ser compreendido por pessoas de todos os níveis de escolaridade. Quanto à utilidade, entendem que sua aplicação pode produzir efeitos importantes: efeito de constatação daquilo que todos sabem e reconhecem como desafio: a insuficiente adesão dos pacientes à terapia antirretroviral; efeito de avaliação da qualidade, pois os profissionais compreendem as medidas de adesão do conjunto de pacientes como um indicador de desempenho do serviço e da importância do monitoramento para melhorar a assistência; efeito demonstrativo, que explicita a necessidade de intervenções mais estruturais que tenham como alvo uma reconceituação dos serviços; e efeito de valorização, referente ao sentimento de \"sentir-se valorizado\" relatado pelos pacientes. Os profissionais se mostraram entusiasmados com as potencialidades do questionário; contudo, não apresentaram proposições tecnológicas e organizacionais concretas para sua utilização, o que pode significar que a plena potencialidade do WebAd-Q como insumo gerencial só será alcançada com o aprimoramento do gerenciamento / Patient adherence to antiretroviral therapy is essential to meet the treatment goals. Adherence rates of a group of patients in a certain service might be considered a measure of quality proxy. A qualitative research study was carried out to assess the feasibility of the Qualiaids Adherence Monitoring Questionnaire in antiretroviral therapy - WebAd-Q as a daily routine. Two dimensions guided the study design: the Application Dimension - about the staff\'s experience in the application of webAD-Q within the research environment; and the and Usefulness Dimension - focusing on the staff\'s opinion on the significance to know the patients\' adherence and the webAD-Q\'s potential to assist them in managing their services. Seven types of service participated in this study. Four of them were ranked as Specialized Care Service (SCS). There were also two clinics located in big hospitals and one clinic which was part of a Basic Health Care Unit (BHU). 22 healh care providers were interviewed, as well as the seven managers of the facilities abovementioned. A semi-structured interview guide was used. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and their content was analyzed. The services differ among themselves in size, structure and type of assistance. On the other hand, they are similar in team composition and how they are managed. For the health care providers, (non) adherence is a complex problem, caused by multiple factors, and difficult to understand. The solution is often beyond their means of intervention. The WebAd-Q was assessed as simple, friendly, straight-to-the-point questionnaire, easy to understand and handle, both by providers and users. Also, its application was did not have any operational difficulties. Some of the questionnaire\'s most valued attributes include allowing for anonymous responses, providing video and audio, and being understood by people of all educational levels. The participants also understand that its application eventually results in substantial effects: the effect of finding out something widely known and recognized as a challenge: the insufficient adherence rates of patients to antiretroviral therapy; the effect of assessing quality, because health care providers understand adherence measures of groups of patients as an indicator of service performance and of the importance of monitoring to improve health care procedures; the effect of demonstration, as it shows the need for more structural interventions aiming at a revision of what their services mean; and the effect of valuation, meant as the feeling of \"feeling valued\", as reported by the patients.The healthcare providers showed enthusiasm with the Questionnaire\'s potential. However, they did not proposed concrete technological and organizational plans for its use. That might mean that the WebAd-Q as a management tool will only reach its full potential if management procedures are improved

Estudo experimental com designação aleatória em dois grupos (Intervenção ou Controle) que avaliou a qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde e a adesão ao tratamento medicamentoso de pacientes que internaram para o ajuste da dosagem do anticoagulante oral, segundo a participação em um programa educativo (Grupo Intervenção - GI) ou cuidado de rotina (Grupo Controle - GC). Os grupos também foram comparados segundo a autoeficácia geral e presença de sintomas de ansiedade e de depressão em dois momentos: na internação (T1) e dois meses após a alta hospitalar (T2). O estudo foi desenvolvido em um hospital público do interior do Estado de São Paulo, de março de 2011 a dezembro de 2012. Foram considerados elegíveis para o estudo 113 pacientes, aleatorizados em GC (n=58) e GI (n=55). A aleatorização foi realizada após a estratificação pelo The Outpatient Bleeding Risk Index conforme o risco de sangramento (baixo, médio e alto risco). Os pacientes que participaram do programa educativo receberam orientações individualizadas, com uso de materiais ilustrativos na internação. Após a alta as orientações eram feitas por contatos telefônicos realizados na primeira e quarta semanas. Para a avaliação das variáveis de interesse foram utilizadas as versões validadas para o português do Brasil dos instrumentos Duke Anticoagulation Satisfaction Scale, Medidas de Adesão ao Tratamento, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale e General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale. Ao final dos dois meses de seguimento, completaram o seguimento 44 participantes no GC (75,8% dos participantes em T1) e 38 no GI (69,1%). Os dados foram avaliados por estatística descritiva e de comparação das médias das variáveis de interesse entre os grupos (t de Student independente) e intragrupos (teste t de Student pareado), na internação e dois meses após a alta. O nível de significância adotado foi de 0,05. Na comparação dos grupos de pacientes que completaram ou não o seguimento, verificamos semelhanças sociodemográficas, clínicas e relacionadas à terapia de anticoagulação oral. Essas semelhanças também foram observadas ao compararmos os grupos, controle e intervenção, durante a internação. Com relação à qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde, adesão ao tratamento, sintomas de ansiedade e depressão e autoeficácia, os resultados obtidos constatam semelhanças entre GC e GI tanto em T1 quanto em T2, não confirmando as hipóteses do nosso estudo para T2. Em T2, não foi possível confirmar as diferenças entre as medidas de QVRS (p=0,65), adesão (p =0,89), ansiedade (p=0,20), depressão (p=0,27) e autoeficácia (p=0,65), considerando a participação no programa educativo. Diante dos resultados obtidos no presente estudo concluímos que para os pacientes que já possuem a experiência anterior do uso do anticoagulante oral a estratégia educativa utilizada não foi eficiente para melhorar as variáveis respostas escolhidas. Esse resultado, do ponto de vista clínico, tem uma relevante importância para os profissionais da saúde que assistem esta população de usuários de anticoagulantes orais. Nossa afirmação se pauta no conhecimento produzido por estudo anterior realizado pelo nosso grupo de pesquisa, o qual obteve resultados estatisticamente significantes e melhores para o grupo intervenção. Ao compararmos as populações dos dois estudos, ambos realizados na mesma instituição hospitalar, temos/percebemos que há diferença entre elas apenas na variável tempo de uso do medicamento. Assim, o profissional deve considerar que o tempo que o paciente faz uso do medicamento é um fator decisivo na escolha da estratégia educativa que deverá utilizar / Experimental study with random distribution in two groups (Intervention or Control), which assessed the health-related quality of life and medication treatment adherence of patients who were hospitalized to adjust the oral anticoagulation drug dosage, according to their participation in an educational group (Intervention Group - IG) or in routine care (Control Group - CG). The groups were also compared according to their general self-efficacy and presence of anxiety and depression symptoms at two times: upon hospitalization (T1) and two months after discharge from hospital (T2). The study was developed at a public hospital in the interior of São Paulo State, Brazil, from March 2011 till December 2012. In total, 113 patients were considered eligible for the study, randomized between CG (N=58) and IG (N=55). The randomization took place after the patients\' stratification into low, medium and high bleeding risk, according to The Outpatient Bleeding Risk Index. The patients who participated in the educative program received individualized orientations, using illustrative material, during the hospitalization. After discharge, the orientations were provided through telephone contact during the first and fourth week. To assess the research variables, the versions of the Duke Anticoagulation Satisfaction Scale, Treatment Adherence Measures, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale validated for Brazilian Portuguese were used. After two months of monitoring, 44 participants completed the follow- up in CG (75.8% of participants at T1) and 38 in IG (69.1%). The data were assessed by means of descriptive statistics and comparison of means for the variables of interest between the groups (independent Student\'s t) and intra-groups (paired Student\'s t-test), upon the hospitalization and two months after discharge. The significance level adopted was 0.05. When comparing the patient groups that completed the follow-up or not, we found similarities in sociodemographic and clinical variables and related to the oral anticoagulation therapy. These similarities were also observed when comparing the control and intervention groups during the hospitalization. As regards the health-related quality of life, treatment adherence, anxiety and depression symptoms and self-efficacy, the results reveal similarities between CG and IG at T1 and T2, not confirming our study hypotheses for T2. At T2, the differences in the HRQoL (p=0.65), adherence (p=0.89), anxiety (p=0.20), depression (p=0.27) and self- efficacy (p=0.65) scores could not be confirmed when considering the participation in the educative program. In view of the results obtained in the present study, we conclude that, for patients with previous experience in oral anticoagulation treatment, the educative strategy used was not efficient to improve the selected response variables. From the clinical viewpoint, this result is relevant for the health professionals who deliver care to this population of oral anticoagulation drug users. Our assertion is based on the knowledge produced in an earlier study by our research group, which found statistically significant and better results for the intervention group. When comparing the populations in both studies, which were undertaken at the same hospital, the sole difference relates to the length of the medication intake. Therefore, professionals should consider the usage length of the medication as a decisive factor in the choice of the educative strategy they will adopt

Abstract available through the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association.