Abstract

Objectives: To determine factors relating to palliative care in HIV/AIDS patients with ARV treatment.
Subjects: 85 patients with ≥ 12 months of ARV treatment at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Hue Central Hospital.
Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study.
Results: 100% of HIV/AIDS patients undergoing ARV treatment experience anxiety. Their biggest concern is not receiving free treatment (84.7%), fear of being seen taking ARV medication (55.3%), and concern about ARV side effects (31.4%). Patients use adherence aids at a rate of 90.6%, including setting an alarm clock (60%), phone reminders (58.8%), and family reminders (36.5%). Common side effects of ARV treatment in the first 1-3 months include rash (10.6%), liver toxicity (5.9% due to NVP), nightmares and dizziness (4.7% due to EFV), and anemia (3.5% due to AZT). After ≥ 12 months of ARV treatment, common side effects include fat redistribution disorder (10.6%), peripheral neuropathy (9.4% due to D4T), and anemia (4.7% due to AZT). Before ARV treatment, 32.8% of patients were at stage IV of clinical HIV progression. After ≥ 12 months of ARV treatment, 73.3% of patients improved to stage I, while stage IV cases dropped to 4.7%. CD4 cell count before ARV treatment was 134 ± 11, increasing to 420 ± 24 after ≥ 12 months of treatment.
Conclusions: Palliative care includes managing anxiety disorders, encouraging the use of adherence tools to improve compliance, and reducing ARV side effects. Palliative care plays a crucial role in enhancing ARV treatment success, improving treatment efficacy, and enhancing the quality of life for patients.