The medication experience of people living with HIV: From the understanding of the meanings of medication to the development of a conceptual framework of medication experience.

Abstract

This is a study investigating the medication experience of people living with HIV/AIDS and the influences on the patient's relationship with medications. The study was conducted from April 2011 to April 2012. The methodology of investigation was Grounded Theory. The methods included one-to-one in-depth interviews, journaling, and observations. The participants in the study were nine people living with HIV. The results suggest that there are two dimensions of experiences associated with HIV drug therapy. One is the life disruption and the other is the meaning that the patient ascribes to medications. The results of this study are presented as a theoretical visual model. The model intends to show the complexities of living with HIV and the factors influencing the patient's relationship with medications in HIV drug therapy. The author recommends the use of narratives in patient care as a standard practice to understand the patient's medication experience. In addition, the proposed model can be used as a pedagogical tool to teach students in the health care disciplines as it portrays the complexities involved in HIV medication taking in a relatively simple manner. The findings of this study contribute to the illness experience as well as medication experience literature. Lastly, the proposed model can be applied to other illness contexts in which the use of medications is a key strategy for improving the patient's quality of life.