It’s best not to miss a dose of ARV medicine
NON-adherence to prescribed antiretroviral medicine or a break in treatment can result in drug resistance and should be avoided at all costs.
While not every missed dose will necessarily result in HIV drug resistance, which limits the scope of medicines that are likely to be effective for an individual living with HIV, the general principle of adhering to prescribed treatment should be followed at all times for best results.
“Every missed dose of antiretroviral (ARV) medicine can potentially lead to drug resistance, although this is more likely with certain groups of ARVs than others. As pharmacists, we therefore advise that it is never safe to miss a dose of chronic medicine for HIV,” said Majanie Krüger, the Medipost Pharmacy fund manager.
Chronic medicine patients require support and ongoing reliable access to prescribed chronic medicines to get the best results. Even in more developed nations, the World Health Organisation estimates that only about half of people who are prescribed chronic medication adhere to their treatments.
General practitioner Dr Mfanelo Titus, who practises in Sterkspruit, was one of the first wave of doctors to register with MediLogistics to have his practice registered as a chronic medicine collections point for his patients.
“This service has been greatly beneficial in that it improves overall management of my chronic patients, including those who are living with HIV. The reliable supply of chronic medicine is very reassuring for patients, and for their doctors, as a break in the treatment regime can have negative consequences for the patient’s wellness,” he said.
“Since our practice became a medicine collection point for patients, I have noticed that those making use of the service are seeing the benefits of improved adherence and this has been very positive in terms of improved wellness,” Dr Titus notes.
Dr Mavabaza Mbombi, a general practitioner in Giyani, Limpopo, said he valued the fact that his patients are guarantee reliable delivery of chronic medicines through the MediLogistics’ service and the fact that their medical confidentiality is protected.
“As my practice is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, my patients are able to collect their medicine in their own time.
“They do not need to make arrangements to collect their medicine during normal working hours, as they have the option to come and fetch their parcels of medicine after hours, over the weekend or even on public holidays.”
The simplicity of the system is appreciated by the doctors, as Medipost Pharmacy engages directly with patients to remind them to collect their new parcels of chronic medicine, and reminds both patient and doctor when the prescription needs to be renewed.
Kruger said that throughout the process, confidentiality was safeguarded because all parcels were wrapped and sealed before they were despatched to the medicine collection points.
“It is not possible for anyone who sees the parcel to know what kind of medication it contains. All parcels have a unique identifying code to ensure that the correct parcel is dispensed to the correct patient, and the reminder service helps to ensure these parcels are collected at the right time to ensure there is no break in treatment,” she added.
“It is a win-win situation for patients and their doctors because of the convenience of being able to collect their medicine directly from their doctor’s practice, which makes the medicine more accessible.
“For doctors, the relationship with patients is strengthened as doctors are able to check whether their patients have collected the medicine they need. Doctors also note that with improved compliance, their patients with chronic health conditions in general tend to get the best out of the available treatment,” she said. |