Evaluation of viral suppression and medication-related burden among HIV-infected adults in a secondary care facility.

Background: People living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) are prone to other health issues that may result from the disease or antiretroviral medicines. These persons experience other psychosocial aspects of the illness, which may negatively affect their quality of life and overall treatment outcomes. This study assessed the medication-related burden and virological response of adult PLHIV. Method: This cross-sectional study involved 417 HIV-positive adults who had been on combined antiretroviral therapy for at least a year at the State Specialist Hospital Gombe. Nigeria. Patient medication experience was measured using the Living with Medication Questionnaire version-3 (LMQ-3). Virological suppression was assessed at viral loads <1000 copies/ml and 20 copies/ml for undetectable HIV RNA levels. The LMQ-3 scores were compared with the participants' characteristics using independent t-tests or one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Regression analyses was employed to identify the predictors of viral suppression and medication-related burden. P value <0.05 at 95% confidence interval was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 417 PLHIV included in this study, 271 (65%) were classified as WHO Stage 1 ART initiation, 93.8% achieved viral suppression with 291 (69.5%) whom were females. The majority of patients 382 (91.6%) were on a dolutegravir-based regimen, had no tuberculosis diagnosis at antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation (82.5%) and were 6-10 years on ART (46.3%). Only 67.6% of the population had a moderate medication-related burden. Female sex (p < 0.0005), unsuppressed viral load (p = 0.01), second-line ART (p = 0.03), tuberculosis at ART initiation (p = 0.02), and employment (p = 0.003) were significantly associated with medication-related burden. The predictor of viral suppression was high degree of medication-related burden (AOR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.02-0.59) while unsuppressed viral load (p = 0.01) and female gender (p = 0.002) were independent predictors of medication related burden. Conclusion: The findings from this study revealed that majority of the patients achieved viral suppression with moderate degree of medication-related burden. Targeted interventions should be directed toward younger patients, females and patients with unsuppressed viral loads.

Community Pharmacists: On the frontline of health service against COVID-19 in LMICs.

The COVID-19 outbreak is a global public health crisis which has affected healthcare practice across professions. In the context of this pandemic, there is a need to highlight the roles and responsibilities of pharmacists. Community pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare professionals to the general public and have a lot to offer amid the COVID-19 response. This have led to significant changes in the health systems of many countries. This article seeks to highlight additional roles and activities relating to the public health response that can be undertaken by community pharmacists that could help to reduce pressure on general practice and other areas of the health service.