Adherence to treatment and care of people living with HIV/AIDS: a case study of Rufiji district Tanzania

This study invastigated the Adherence to Treatment and Care of the People Living with HIV/AIDS. It is a case study of Rufiji District, Coast Region in Tanzania. Guided by explanatory design, the study employed qualitative and quantitative research approach to assess medication and care adherence of the people living with HIV/AIDS in Rufiji district. Qualitative and quantitative techniques were used for data collection. Primary data were obtained from the field in three selected clinics of Rufiji district in coast region Tanzania. Secondary data were collected from various literature. The sampling design was both purposive and random and 86 respondents were randomly selected according to their willingness to participate and were interviewed on their clinic day. Fifteen health care providers were interviewed among them were three counselors, one from each of the researched clinics. Interview guidelines were used to capture the insight of the problem. The study found that most respondents skipped their doses due to various reasons, including disclosure, distance from clinics, financial difficulties, side effects of ARVs, and stigmatization. The results show that there is still a lot to be done in treatment and care of the people living with HIV/AIDS. Adherence to medication is still a major problem in Rufiji district. The research suggests that training of health care providers and educating patients be adhered. Patients need to be provided with knowledge on the disease and treatment to help them overcome disclosure and stigmatization issues. This could help to reduce dosage skipping and allow patients to become healthier.