Table 2.

Themes and sub-themes identified (as underlying barriers) by PWHAs Muslim Patients and HCPs

Themes by PWHAs and HCPs	Sub-themes (as underlying barriers of ART non-adherence)
From PWHAs’ perspectives
1: Religion/Spiritual Importance	HIV as a punishment from God (mostly male) HIV as Allah’s will (mostly female) Perceived making a bad sin (Zina) from immoral misconduct (mostly male) Seldom use Islamic beliefs and Islamic praying to support their drug-taking/ART adherence
2: Cognitive Relevance [Experiences of non-adherence problem, all PWHAs]	Forget to take drugs (infrequent) Too busy to do things Have poor memory Barely used sound reminders to support ART adherence. Most never used any kind of drug reminders. Few used handy sound reminders (mobile phone alarm, TV news) Misunderstandings (symptom-free, feeling well) Skipped taking drugs (occasionally) Inadequate Knowledge (drug side effects & drug care management) Experiences drug side effects and skip drugs by themselves
3: Socioeconomic & Financial Barriers	Have transportation problems Have financial problems Occurred among low-incomes patients (mostly)
4: Need for Social Respect	Non-disclosure of HIV-serostatus to a family member HIV stigma (fear of stigma) Lack of family support (in drug care & transportation)
5: Psychological barriers	Boredom with taking long time drugs Getting tired of taking drugs (longtime use, over three years) Loss of motivation to keep ART adherence consistently
From HCPs perspectives
1: Religion/Spiritual Importance	The need for better integration of Islamic beliefs into ART adherence Aware of Islamic & cultural care importance Expressed the need for integrating Islamic beliefs in ART adherence for better culturally HIV-care
Theme 2-5	Similar to those reported by PWHAs

Note. PWHAs = patients with HIV/AIDS; HCPs = health care providers/clinical nurses