Table III.
Checklist of adherence measurement items to include in a published report
| METHOD | WHAT INFORMATION TO INCLUDE IN PUBLISHED REPORTS |
|---|---|
| Self-report | What was the question(s) asked? (Count of doses or pills missed or taken? |
| Estimation of overall adherence over the time interval?) | |
| Reliability and validity information for the instrument. | |
| What was adherence in reference to in terms of agent(s)? (i.e., All ARVs or a selected ARV?) | |
| How many days or months were in the recall period? | |
| Was one full 7 day period (or other incorporation of a weekend) included? | |
| Who or what posed the question(s)? (Clinician, intervener, neutral interviewer, computer with voice, computer text only?) | |
| Was the question(s) asked one-on-one? | |
| Was the question(s) part of a larger assessment or research/clinic visit? If so, when did the adherence assessment occur in relation to other procedures and total duration of the visit? (Was it at the end of a long visit? End of a long computer delivered questionnaire?) | |
| Were there reasons to be concerned about patient-group/item-format mismatch? (Numeracy, wording that is uncommon in local culture, asked only in a second or third language of the patient-group?) | |
| What threats were there in terms of reporting bias? (Were real or perceived negative consequences associated with reports of non-adherence? Were positive or negative consequences from reports of high or low adherence equal between the study arms?) | |
| What assurances/strategies were in place to minimize potential self-reporting bias?) | |
| If data were treated categorically, how were the categorical parameters established and what was the rationale for the categories? | |
| Electronic monitoring | What device (version, specification) was used? |
| How and when were participants instructed on device use? | |
| Was there a lead-in time to control for the intervention effect associated with electronic monitoring devices? | |
| What quality control methods were used to evaluate device use during the trial? | |
| What was the malfunction rate during the course of the study? | |
| What strategies were used to account for non-device pill administration (ie “pocket-dosing)? | |
| What data censoring procedures were used during analysis? | |
| If data were treated categorically, how were the categorical parameters established and what was the rationale for the categories? | |
| Pill counts | What was the setting in which the count was conducted (home, office, community)? |
| Was the count conducted face-to-face or via communications technology (telephone, internet)? | |
| Who counted the pills (patient, family member, professional staff)? | |
| Was the pill-count unannounced or scheduled? | |
| Which medications were included in the count? | |
| How was the baseline number of pills from which the remainder was subtracted established? | |
| If data were treated categorically, how were the categorical parameters established and what was the rationale for the categories? | |
| Pharmacy refill records | Did all patients obtain all medications from a single pharmacy? |
| If multiple pharmacies provided data, how was a uniform data base established? | |
| What information was included in the pharmacy data base? Was dosing information part of the data base or was it imputed? | |
| How were left-over or carry-forward medications handled? | |
| Was information from an EMR available and, if so, how was it used? | |
| If data were treated categorically, how were the categorical parameters established and what was the rationale for the categories? |