%0 Journal Article %J Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) %D 2006 %T Development and assessment of an innovative culturally sensitive educational videotape to improve adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy in Soweto, South Africa. %A Wong, Ilene Y %A Lawrence, Nicholas V %A Struthers, Helen %A McIntyre, James %A Friedland, Gerald H %K Adolescent %K Adult %K Anti-HIV Agents %K Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active %K Female %K HIV Infections %K Humans %K Male %K Middle Aged %K Patient Compliance %K Patient Education as Topic %K South Africa %K Videotape Recording %P S142-8 %R 10.3109/00952990.2011.568081 %V 43 Suppl 1 %X The increasing availability of antiretroviral medication (ARV) therapy in the face of limited chronic medication-taking experience among resource-poor South Africans has raised concerns about adequate adherence to these medications. We hypothesized that a culturally sensitive audiovisual patient education program would be of substantial and measurable benefit in increasing patient understanding of the concepts of ARV resistance risk and medication-taking skills. To identify potential barriers to adherence and successful strategies to promote adherence, 6 focus groups with health care providers and HIV-positive adherence counselors were held, resulting in the production of a 17-minute culturally sensitive educational videotape. Basic drug-taking concepts and practical advice on how to improve adherence were presented in the videotape. Thirty-four HIV-positive patients (including 11 ARV-naive patients and 23 ARV-experienced patients) were shown the educational videotape, and their knowledge about medication taking was evaluated by a 24-point pre- and postvideotape questionnaire. On average, the 34 patients gained 2.2 knowledge points (P = 0.021). ARV-naive patients had an average improvement of 3.0 points (P = 0.0028), with most significant gains in the areas of understanding medication-taking strategies and side effects. These preliminary findings indicate that a culturally sensitive educational videotape can improve medication-taking knowledge in South Africa and that further study of the potential efficacy of using media technology to improve individuals' adherence to ARV therapy is warranted. %8 2006 Dec 1