Quality of life of HIV patients taking antiretroviral treatment in a resource limited setting: A case of University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital, Ethiopia
2 Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
3 Department of Pharmaceutics and Social Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
Received: 30-Oct-2018 Accepted Date: Nov 20, 2018 ; Published: 22-Nov-2018
Citation: Ayalew MB, Abdela OA, Solomon A, et al. Quality of life of HIV patients taking antiretroviral treatment in a resource limited setting: A case of University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital, Ethiopia. J Basic Clin Pharma October-2018;9(3):302-307.
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Abstract
Background: HIV/AIDS posed one of the greatest challenges to mankind. Despite the international and local initiatives to improve access to life prolonging HAART drugs, little attention is paid on the aspect of improving quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. Thus the aim of this study was to assess the quality of life (QoL) of patients with HIV/AIDS who were taking HAART at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital starting from April 10 to May 24, 2017. Data was collected by using interviewer administered validated Amharic version of WHO QOL-HIV-BREF-Eth questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Binary logistic regression was used to determine association between quality of life and socio-demographic characteristics. Level of statistical significance was declared at P- Value = 0.05.
Result: A total of three hundred participants were included in the study. Majority (57.3%) were males, 35% were illiterates and nearly half (48.3%) were married. Eighty one (27%) of the respondents had poor overall quality of life. Being widowed (P=0.000), divorced (P=0.001) and illiterate (P=0.007) were found to be significantly associated with poor QoL. Patients who spent more than 5 years after tested positive had better quality of life as compared to patients who know their HIV status within the recent 5 years.
Conclusion: More than a quarter of participants had poor quality of life. Widowed and divorced marital status, having no formal education and spending less than five year after tested as HIV positive were significantly associated with poor quality of life. More emphasis should be given for these groups of patients to improve their quality of life through multifaceted interventions.