Mobile phone interventions to promote adherence to HIV treatment: mitigating the challenges
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Mobile phone interventions to promote adherence to HIV treatment: mitigating the challenges

Grace Manderson Nursing student, adult nursing, School of Nursing and Allied Health, Buckinghamshire New University, Uxbridge, England
Liz King , Senior lecturer, Division of Children’s Nursing, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Institute of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University, London, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To recognise how mobile phone interventions can promote adherence to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment

  • To be aware of the potential disadvantages of using mobile phone interventions with patients with HIV

  • To consider how to mitigate any issues that may occur when using mobile phone interventions

Mobile phone interventions are often used in healthcare for sharing information and interacting with patients regarding their treatment and care. In people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), antiretroviral treatment is crucial and mobile phone interventions are increasingly used to promote adherence to HIV treatment. However, such interventions have potential disadvantages, which nurses and other healthcare professionals need to recognise and mitigate.

This article details a literature review that investigated the disadvantages of mobile phone interventions designed to promote adherence to treatment among people with HIV. Four themes were identified from the literature: issues with confidentiality of HIV diagnosis, frustrations associated with technical issues, lost or stolen mobile phones, and the importance of professional support. Nurses involved in caring for patients with HIV should seek to mitigate these disadvantages, regularly review the effectiveness of mobile phone interventions and ensure that each patient receives personalised support. Further research into existing and new mobile phone-based methods of patient support is warranted.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2021.e11739

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@lizziegking

Correspondence

elizabeth.king@lsbu.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Manderson G, King L (2021) Mobile phone interventions to promote adherence to HIV treatment: mitigating the challenges. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2021.e11739

Published online: 06 December 2021

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