An intervention has succeeded in motivating people with HIV to adhere to their antiretroviral regimens, ultimately reducing viral load, Medscape reports. Findings from a study of the intervention’s use among HIV-positive people in the Netherlands were presented at the 10th International Conference on HIV Treatment and Prevention Adherence in Miami.

The researchers believe the intervention, known as the Adherence Improving Self-Management Strategy (AIMS), may be the first of its kind to have been shown in multiple studies to improve adherence rates and viral load levels.

The study included 223 people living with the virus recruited from Dutch HIV clinics. The group was about evenly split between treatment-naive and treatment-experienced individuals. The participants were randomly divided between one arm that received the AIMS intervention and another that served as a control.

In the intervention arm, nurses worked with the participants to help motivate them to take their medications as prescribed. After educating individuals about the importance of adherence and how it affects treatment outcomes, the nurses helped them establish personal goals for adherence. The nurses monitored actual adherence through electronic pill bottles and provided feedback throughout the study, helping participants develop plans to better stick with pill-taking protocols.

The average follow-up time was 14.5 months, and 213 participants completed the study.

At the three follow-up points, the control group had viral loads that were an average of 28 percent higher than the intervention group; and the intervention group was 89 percent more likely to have an undetectable viral load when compared with the control group. Seven percent of the intervention group had two consecutive detectable viral loads during follow-up, compared with 17 percent of the control group.

At a cost of about 83 euros ($91) per person per year, the intervention is cheaper and more effective than standard care and treatment for people with HIV.

To read the Medscape article, click here.