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

Sponsor

University of Missouri, Kansas City (Other)

Overall Status

Completed

CT.gov ID

NCT00602758

Collaborator

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (NIH)

252

Enrollment

Locations

Arms

Duration (Months)

Patients Per Site

1.1

Patients Per Site Per Month

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

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.

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
HIV Infections Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome	Behavioral: Motivational interviewing with cognitive behavioral therapy Behavioral: Modified directly observed therapy	N/A

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 Design

Study Type:

Interventional

Actual Enrollment :

252 participants

Allocation:

Randomized

Intervention Model:

Parallel Assignment

Masking:

None (Open Label)

Primary Purpose:

Treatment

Official Title:

ART Adherence: Enhanced Counseling and Observed Therapy

Study Start Date :

Dec 1, 2004

Actual Primary Completion Date :

Aug 1, 2009

Actual Study Completion Date :

Aug 1, 2009

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: Enhanced Counseling Participants meet with a counselor trained in motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral techniques	Behavioral: Motivational interviewing with cognitive behavioral therapy 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	Behavioral: Motivational interviewing with cognitive behavioral therapy 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) Behavioral: Modified directly observed therapy 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)

Arm

Intervention/Treatment

Experimental: Enhanced Counseling

Participants meet with a counselor trained in motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral techniques

Behavioral: Motivational interviewing with cognitive behavioral therapy

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

Behavioral: Motivational interviewing with cognitive behavioral therapy

Other Names:

Enhanced counseling (EC)

Behavioral: Modified directly observed therapy

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:

Modified observed therapy (MDOT)

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

Adherence with ART as measured by Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) [Measured at Week 48]

Secondary Outcome Measures

HIV RNA suppression [Measured at Week 48]

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years and Older

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

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

Contacts and Locations

Locations

	Site	City	State	Country	Postal Code
1	Kansas University Medical Center ID Clinic	Kansas City	Kansas	United States	66160
2	Truman Medical Center ID Clinic	Kansas City	Missouri	United States	64108
3	Kansas City Free Health Clinic	Kansas City	Missouri	United States	64110
4	Kansas City Veterans Administration Medical Center	Kansas City	Missouri	United States	641128