Global study confirms holistic approach to HIV care improves quality of life

ViiV Healthcare’s Positive Perspectives Wave 2 study has shown that higher levels of engagement between healthcare providers and people living with HIV are associated with better health outcomes.

The company presented four abstracts at the virtual AIDS 2020 conference shedding light onto the unmet needs of people living with HIV in 2020. The abstracts were built from data collected from the Positive Perspectives Wave 2 study which highlighted the importance of a holistic approach involving people living with HIV in open dialogue and joint decision-making with their healthcare providers particularly as people living with HIV plan for healthy ageing.

The Positive Perspectives Wave 2 study recruited 2,389 people living with HIV from USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, South Africa, Russia, Australia, Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea.

Key findings from the study found that:

• Higher levels of engagement between healthcare professionals and people living with HIV were associated with significantly better reported health outcomes.
  • Of the people living with HIV in the study with high engagement in their care:
  • 70% reported optimal overall health, compared to 46% reporting optimal overall health amongst those with low engagement in their care.
  • 88% of those with high engagement reported treatment satisfaction, compared to 47% with low engagement.
  • 65% of people living with HIV in the study agreed that they would like to be more involved in decisions about their treatment and care, but 77% felt uncomfortable discussing at least one issue with their healthcare professional.
• Those in the study who reported being informed of U=U (undetectable equals untransmittable) by their healthcare professionals (66%) reported more favourable health outcomes than those who had not been.
• Almost one quarter of people (23%) of people living with HIV, aged 50 or over, reported suboptimal physical, mental, sexual, and overall health.
  • 76% of treatment experienced individuals, aged 50 or over, said that minimal side effects was the most important issue for them.

Erika Castellanos, Director of Programs, Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE) and Positive Perspectives 2 Advisory Committee Member, said:

“Results from the Positive Perspectives 2 study provide insights into the challenges we face as people living with HIV. While great advances have been made in the treatment of HIV, these results show that those of us living with HIV still need support to empower us to confidently advocate for ourselves across all aspects of our care. HIV makes us more vulnerable to other health conditions, so it is crucial that we feel licensed to play active roles in our HIV care and regularly discuss changing treatment needs with our HCPs.”