The significance of subjective treatment models for the treatment of HIV

Since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), HIV has changed from an acute threat to survival to a chronic illness. However, a near perfect adherence to the individual treatment protocol is a prerequisite for the control of the HIV virus and subsequently the absence of HIV-related conditions. So far, a wide array of determinants for adherence and non-adherence to HAART have been identified, which have been criticized to be of descriptive, and thus limited, value. Recent theory-driven studies show that adherence should best be seen as a result of subjective assumptions about the necessity of and the concerns regarding the proposed treatment. While advances in the medication have and will lead to better tolerability and less strenuous treatment regimes, a better understanding of subjective treatment models offers the opportunity to develop better ways to tackle non-adherence.