HIV treatment in African American women—care that makes a difference

Olihe Okoro, Folakemi Odedina

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

African American women bear a disproportionate burden of HIV disease. Socioeconomic and psycho-social factors while adding to the vulnerability of this population also contribute to non-adherence and consequently poor outcomes. The provider-patient relationship has the potential to enhance HIV medication adherence in this population. Using in-depth interviews, patient and provider perspectives are explored to identify specific elements of the providerpatient interaction that enhance patient satisfaction with care and consequently improve HIV medication adherence. Themes associated with provider attitudes and actions perceived as positively impacting care in this patient group include (1) physical touch, (2) treating (the patient) “as a person”, (3) actively listening to the patient, (4) showing empathy, (5) being non-judgmental, and (6) being readily accessible. These findings suggest that the demonstration of care and commitment from the provider as perceived by the patient is important to African American women living with HIVand may significantly influence adherence behavior and enhance treatment outcomes in this population.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)376-384
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
Volume4
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 29 2017

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute 2016.

Keywords

  • Adherence
  • African American women
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Patient satisfaction
  • Provider

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