Global Pulse Blog

It has long been established that high adherence to antriretroviral therapy is associated with slowed progression of HIV infection and increased survival, but a recent study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggest that high antiretroviral therapy adherence is also associated with lower health care costs. Their study suggests that improved health outcomes associated with high adherence to HIV therapy results in an overall median monthly health care cost savings of $85 per patient in a cohort of 6,833 HIV-infected adults in South Africa. A large component of this cost savings resulted from a decreased need for hospitalization in patients with high adherence to antiretroviral therapy. These results suggest that effective, practical strategies are needed to encourage and actively monitor antiretroviral therapy adherance in order to improve patient outcomes and, in the process, save much need health care resources.

More details on the study can be found in the January 5, 2010 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.