Accessibility of Antiretroviral Therapy in St. Petersburg and Orenburg City, Russia | USAID Health Care Improvement Portal
Follow Us HCI Project on FacebookHCI Project on TwitterHCI Project on Vimeo
Why Register?     Register      Login

Accessibility of Antiretroviral Therapy in St. Petersburg and Orenburg City, Russia

Author(s): 
Russakova MM et al
Organization: USAID Health Care Improvement Project/URC
Year: 
2008
Language: 
English
Description: 

The availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has risen in Russia, but uptake has remained low. To identify and measure the factor preventing people with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) from seeking, accepting, and adhering to ART, the Quality Assurance Project (QAP) contracted with Stellit, a Russian NGO assisting people with HIV/AIDS, to investigate those reasons and propose recommendations. This research report presents findings from focus groups of people with HIV/AIDS and interviews with experts. Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and individual experience (e.g., experiencing pain) were the most influential factors associated with accepting/not accepting ART. The recommendations are targeted toward four audiences—the general population, the medical and social care system for PLWHA, the closest social contacts of PLWHA, and individual PLWHA— and vary by city, largely due to variances in trust in different media between the cities.