Effectiveness of Enhanced Counseling and Observed Therapy on Antiretroviral Adherence in People With HIV

May 19, 2016 updated by: University of Missouri, Kansas City

ART Adherence: Enhanced Counseling and Observed Therapy

This study will compare the effectiveness of enhanced counseling alone versus enhanced counseling combined with observed therapy at improving medication adherence in people with HIV.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

HIV is a virus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a disease that breaks down the immune system and allows for entry of life-threatening secondary infections. HIV is transmitted through the exchange of bodily fluids, primarily through sexual intercourse. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has proven to be an effective treatment for inhibiting the replication of HIV, allowing for improved quality of life and survival. However, the long-term effectiveness of ART depends on strict adherence to a prescribed medication regimen. Previous studies have indicated that observing patients while they take their medications for a period of time can improve adherence to their prescribed drug regimens. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of enhanced counseling (EC) alone versus EC combined with modified directly observed therapy (mDOT) at improving medication adherence in people with HIV.

Participants in this 48-week study will be randomly placed into one of the following three treatment groups:

  • Group 1 participants will receive standard care, which will involve the care that the clinic staff normally provide to all patients on HIV therapy.
  • Group 2 participants will receive EC.
  • Group 3 participants will receive EC with mDOT.

All participants will continue to take the anti-HIV medication regimen prescribed by their health care provider. However, participants will be asked to keep one medication type in a bottle that has a special Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) cap. This electronic cap will record each time the participant opens the bottle. Participants will meet with study staff for MEMS cap data collection once weekly for the first 4 weeks, every 2 weeks up to Week 12, and then every 4 weeks thereafter.

EC will consist of 30- to 45-minute counseling sessions about medication adherence. Participants will meet in person with a counselor for the first five sessions, occurring at baseline and Weeks, 1, 2, 6, and 11. An additional five counseling sessions will be conducted by phone during Weeks 4, 9, 15, 19, and 23. Participants receiving mDOT will have their doses of HIV medication delivered to them by an mDOT worker for the first 24 weeks of treatment. Participants will select a time and location to meet with an mDOT staff member, who will then provide the daily doses of drugs and observe participants taking those drugs. Participants will meet with an mDOT worker 5 times a week from baseline to Week 16. Starting at Week 17, the number of weekly meetings will gradually taper until Week 24 when there will be no meeting and participants will return to obtaining and taking their HIV medications as done prior to study enrollment.

Evaluation visits will occur for all participants at baseline and Weeks 12, 24, 36, and 48. Evaluation sessions will last 45 minutes to 1 hour and will include questionnaires about adherence, knowledge and attitudes about HIV and HIV therapy, quality of life, support systems, health status, medical history, drug and alcohol use, and satisfaction with HIV care. Blood samples will also be taken to measure CD4 cell count and amount of virus in the blood.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

252

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Kansas
      • Kansas City, Kansas, United States, 66160
        • Kansas University Medical Center ID Clinic
    • Missouri
      • Kansas City, Missouri, United States, 64108
        • Truman Medical Center ID Clinic
      • Kansas City, Missouri, United States, 64110
        • Kansas City Free Health Clinic
      • Kansas City, Missouri, United States, 641128
        • Kansas City Veterans Administration Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patient at participating clinical site
  • English-speaking
  • Initiating new ART (new or change in therapy) or nonadherent to ART as documented by care provider's assessment, patient self-report, and consistent HIV RNA laboratory results
  • Lives within 45-mile radius of participating clinical site or able to participate in observed therapy procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Enhanced Counseling
Participants meet with a counselor trained in motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral techniques
Counseling sessions are completed face-to-face or by telephone at baseline and Weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 15, 19, and 23. Counselors are trained in motivational interview technique and focus on ART medication adherence.
Other Names:
  • Enhanced counseling (EC)
No Intervention: Standard Care
Participants receive usual clinical care provided by health care providers and they participate only in evaluation components of the study
Experimental: Enhanced Counseling/Modified Directly Observed Therapy
Participants receive their ART medications delivered to them by study staff and they receive the enhanced counseling
Counseling sessions are completed face-to-face or by telephone at baseline and Weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 15, 19, and 23. Counselors are trained in motivational interview technique and focus on ART medication adherence.
Other Names:
  • Enhanced counseling (EC)
From baseline to Week 16, Monday through Friday, study staff meet the participants daily to observe one dose of their ART and to leave with the participants all other doses needed until the next observed dose. The frequency of observed doses begins to taper at Week 17 through to Week 24.
Other Names:
  • OT
  • Modified observed therapy (MDOT)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Adherence with ART as measured by Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS)
Time Frame: Measured at Week 48
Measured at Week 48

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
HIV RNA suppression
Time Frame: Measured at Week 48
Measured at Week 48

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Kathy Goggin, PhD, University of Missouri, Kansas City

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

December 1, 2004

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2009

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 4, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 25, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

January 28, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

May 20, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 19, 2016

Last Verified

May 1, 2016

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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