Forgetfulness and Non-Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy in Nigeria: A Review

Objectives: This study seeks to ascertain if forgetfulness is a problem to non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Nigeria.

Methodology: A comprehensive data base search was done to retrieve relevant articles for the review. Sixteen (16) primary articles met the inclusion criteria and were used for this review.

Results: The result showed that forgetfulness is a barrier to non-adherence to ART among PLWHA in Nigeria.

Conclusion: This review concludes that forgetfulness causes non-adherence to ART. Hence, the cause of patients’ forgetfulness should be investigated and tackled appropriately. Counselling, education and proper assessment of patient’s cognition is vital. HIV services should be inclusive. The use of mobile phones, alarms, text messaging devices and electronic reminders should be advocated to provide reminders to patients at dosing times.