Vets, denialists and rememberers: social typologies of patient adherence and non-adherence to HAART from the perspective of HIV care providers

For many people living with HIV/AIDS taking highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is difficult due to various individual and social factors, including the side effects of these medications, HIV/AIDS stigma and poor patient-provider relationships. Most studies that examine barriers to and facilitators of adherence to HAART have been conducted with people on these medications, which is critical to improving adherence among various HIV-affected groups. Less attention has been paid to the experiences of HIV care providers, which is an important gap in the literature considering the key role they play in the delivery of HAART and the management of patient treatment plans. This paper presents findings from a qualitative pilot study that explored how HIV care providers assess adherence and non-adherence to HAART among their HIV-positive patients in Vancouver, British Columbia. Drawing upon individual interviews conducted with HIV physicians (n = 3), social service providers (n = 3) and pharmacists (n = 2), this discussion focuses on the social typologies our participants use to assess patient success and failure related to adherence. Eleven unique categories are featured and the diversity within and across these categories illustrate a broad spectrum of adherence-related behaviours among patients and the social meanings providers attribute to these behaviours. As one of the first explorations of the social typologies used by HIV care providers to assess patient performance on HAART, these data contribute valuable insights into the experiences of providers within the context of adherence-related care delivery.