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Category: Project

Description: Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is critical to suppress HIV replication and prevent its transmission to others. However, the definition of adherence, thresholds for optimal viral suppression, and how adherence challenges should be best addressed is unclear. Therefore, this study aims to synthesize the similarities and diverse approaches to adherence to defining ART adherence and interventions to address barriers within HIV care. A scoping review will be conducted on adult HIV clinical guidelines and guideline updates from developed countries following guidance from the Joanna Briggs Institute, which includes the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Databases will include Medline, Embase, and CINAHL. A search of the grey literature will be conducted through Canadian Medical Association Infobase, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Guideline Central, Turning Research Into Practice (TRIP), and Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI) Guidelines Trust. For data collection, one reviewer will screen all records and full-texts, while a second reviewer will assess 20% of the texts for inter-rater reliability. Data regarding definitions of adherence, adherence thresholds, barriers to adherence, and interventions for adherence will be charted in tables. A synthesis of data will be performed using content analysis on NVivo software.