An individualized intervention to foster optimal antiretroviral treatment-taking behavior among persons living with HIV: a pilot randomized controlled trial

The key to the success of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment is optimal treatment taking. However, people living with HIV (PLWH) have problems sustaining this behavior. An intervention to facilitate optimal ARV treatment taking was developed using the intervention mapping approach. A pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and effects of this intervention on optimal ARV treatment taking and on viral and immunologic outcomes. Over the 9 months of recruitment, 76 PLWH were referred. A total of 51 participants were enrolled in the study. All but three experimental participants attended at least one of the four intervention sessions. At 12 and 24 weeks respectively, the HIV RNA level was undetectable for 34.8% and 56.5% of controls and 78.6% and 89.3% of experimental participants (p = .056). The results are compelling and suggest that this intervention is acceptable to PLWH and that further formal testing is worth considering.