Emotions and treatment adherence in patients with human immunodeficiency virus

Abstract

According to the surveillance system statistics of the Health Ministery, during 2019, six hundred six- ty-three new cases of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus HIV / AIDS have been registered in our country. The growth in the number of people infected with HIV is alarming, especially when the most affected are people between the ages of 18 and 25. People suffering from a chronic disease such as HIV and / or AIDS experience a strong psychological impact on their life; accompanied by complex and changing emotions and adherence to treatment implies having a good adaptation to treatment, psychologically and phy- sically. Objective. To identify the emotions and adherence to treatment presented by HIV diagnosis patients who attend the Comprehensive Care Service (SAI) at the Mario Catarino Rivas Hospital (HN- MCR). Population and Methods. This is qualitative research with a hermeneutical phenomenological scope. The population is HIV-diagnosed patients. The sample was formed by the convenience of 5 health professionals, 9 HIV-diagnosed patients from 25 to 60 years old. The analysis was carried out by using the ATLAS.ti software, which collected the emotions related to treatment adherence and treatment effects. Results. The patients who expressed joy in the treatment are those who accept the medi- cation in a positive way. Patients who were averse to treatment deny medication and tend to blame third parties for their situation. Fear and sadness were the predominant emotions due to the side effects of the medication. Conclusion. For the majority of the study participants, it is evident that sadness is the emotion that most affects adherence to treatment in patients diagnosed with HIV, due to the duration and side effects of the treatment.