How to Investigate Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment

Collecting data on adherence is vitally important because of the ever present threats of treatment failure and resistance. (INRUD) Initiative on Adherence to Antiretrovirals (IAA) has undertaken to develop this manual which describes how to measure adherence. We know that it works with routine data and we encourage you to use this information in creating your own programmes to improve ART adherence.

The website now contains the following downloadable files:

1. The manual: “Adherence Indicator Survey Manual”
2. The data collection forms for country-level customization (password “INRUD”); printing for data collection; and for double data entry: "Questionnaires"
3. The form which will automatically consolidate the data: "Consolidated"
   
4. The training slides to train the data collectors: "Team Leader Role;" "Dispensing Records;" "Exit Interviews;" and "Facility Form"
   
5. The report template: "Adherence Survey Report Template"

This manual will enable program managers giving antiretroviral medicines to patients to assess the performance of facilities under their responsibility with respect to levels of adherence to antiretrovirals (ARVs). It is a step by step guide on how to design and carry out a national or facility survey or a program survey.

With these methods, managers can identify facilities where they need to intervene to improve adherence levels. Managers can examine the causes of poor performance and work with the facilities to make improvements and then use the survey methods to assess whether improvement has occurred.

The main purpose therefore is to enable an assessment of:

• How a facility is doing at that moment
• How it is doing over time
• How it compares to other facilities
• The effectiveness of interventions to improve adherence levels

Tools and Manual

Adherence Indicator Survey Manual - [PDF-3.8MB]

Data collection forms

• Consolidated [Excel-892KB]
  
• Questionnaires [Excel-2.27MB]

Training slides

• Dispensing Records [PPT-793KB]
• Exit Interviews [PPT-681KB]
• Facility Form [PPT-389KB]
• Team Leader Role [PPT-392KB]

Adherence Survey Report Template - [Word Doc-299KB]