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“Adherent” is a term usually applied to patients, but it can apply to physicians as well, when guidelines dictate preferred ways of practice. Researchers gauged MD adherence to HIV treatment recommendations in effect in Australia between 2004 and 2008, using medical records from 500 patients who began antiretroviral therapy (ART) in high-volume urban HIV practices there. Recommendations in Australia are based on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guidelines.
Physicians did well in “what to start” for ART: 85% of patients were given regimens from “preferred” or “alternative” categories. They were also on target in “when to start,” with 88% of patients fulfilling clinical or CD4-cell criteria for treatment. However, their perform…