Medication Adherence and its Determinants Among Patients on Concomitant Tuberculosis and Antiretroviral Therapy in South West Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: To benefit from therapy and to avoid contracting treatment resistant strains, the individuals must adhere to medications. AIM: The study was designed to assess the degree of drug adherence and its determinants in patients living with HIV/AIDS and TB comorbidity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the degree of drug adherence and its determinants with the help of self-administered questionnaires in Tercha District Hospital in South Ethiopia. RESULT: A total of 24 patients were included in the study. The majority were females (54.2%) and the mean age was 32.4 (SD±9.6) years. Adherence level was 95.8% for Antiretroviral (ARV) medications and 79.2% for anti TB medications. Educational status was associated with anti TB (P=0.021) medication adherence. The reason for the missed doses were mostly lack of money for transport (23.7% for antiretroviral therapy (ART), 26.0% for TB treatment) and forgetting to take medications (18.4% for ART, 17.4% for TB treatment. CONCLUSION: The adherence level obtained for both ARV and anti-TB where high. Transportation costs for patients could be reduced by bringing the services close to where they live.