As part of the Johns Hopkins telephone survey I described earlier, both physicians and patients were asked what is the number one reason people that are having trouble adhering to their antiviral regimens. Fifty-nine percent of the physicians believed that the primary reason is the number of doses and the number of pills. People with HIV are saying something quite different. One of these was privacy, and the need to be confidential about taking medication. People who have jobs are often very sensitive about taking medication in public because they do not want their HIV status to become known.
Cost is also an issue, as is the complexity of the regimens.
The many reasons people miss their medications have been documented in a number of studies. Others include falling asleep, being busy with other activities, being away from where medications are stored, feeling stressed or down, and running out of medication. In another survey, people were asked why they missed recent doses. People with HIV are saying something different. Thirty-two percent said that they missed doses because they were away from home, or they changed their routine, or they were too busy.