Table 1 Key study findings
Challenges accepting lifelong ART | |
|---|---|
Challenge accepting ART when feeling “healthy” | • Women struggled with to accept ART when they felt healthy because ART is associated with being very ill or having a low CD4 count. |
Preference for short-course prophylaxis | • Women preferred the short-course prophylaxis so that they could avoid disclosure and tell their partner or family that the drugs were related to the pregnancy |
Overwhelmed by lifetime commitment | • Most women were familiar with the concept of developing resistance, which caused some to delay initiation until they felt “ready” to commit for life |
More information needed on ART | |
Fear of side effects | • The fear of side effects was often related to deformities and changing physical appearance. Nurses believed this was associated with a drug no longer in use (Stavudine) |
Number of clinic appointments | • Nurses reported considerable variation in the number of adherence counseling appointments a woman needed and advocated for the nurse's discretion to determine the number of adherence counseling sessions on an individual basis |
More information needed at the community level | • Nurses reported being too busy at the facility to provide education sessions in the community (which had previously been provided) |
Educating men about HIV and ART | • Women reported their partners lacking information about HIV and ART and becoming abusive at the mention of either topic |