Self-Management Interventions in HIV Chronic Care
Summary
Self-management interventions have emerged as a cornerstone of chronic HIV care, recognising that people living with HIV must routinely manage medication, monitor symptoms and navigate psychosocial challenges over the long term. Such interventions encompass skills training, structured counselling, peer support and digital platforms designed to bolster self-efficacy, adherence and overall wellbeing. Integrating these components within routine care has proven essential to sustain antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectiveness, reduce treatment interruptions and enhance quality of life. In resource-constrained settings, community-based participatory approaches and the mobilisation of informal caregivers have extended the reach of self-management support, adapting messages and delivery channels to local contexts. Across diverse age groups, from adolescents to older adults, multi-component programmes increasingly combine face-to-face coaching with mobile health tools and symptom management manuals. Despite heterogeneity in design and outcomes, the collective evidence underscores the global significance of empowering individuals as active agents in their own care, while highlighting ongoing challenges such as stigma, health literacy and equitable access to digital interventions.
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Self-Management Interventions in HIV Chronic Care publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in self-management interventions in hiv chronic care across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Self-management: The individual’s active role in monitoring symptoms, adhering to treatment and making lifestyle adjustments to maintain health.
Antiretroviral therapy (ART): A combination of medicines used to suppress HIV replication, maintain immune function and prevent disease progression.
Self-efficacy: A person’s belief in their capacity to execute behaviours necessary to achieve specific health goals.
Peer support: Structured assistance provided by individuals with lived experience of HIV, aimed at sharing knowledge, encouragement and practical strategies.
References
- Promoting Well-being Among Informal Caregivers of People With HIV/AIDS in Rural Malawi: Community-Based Participatory Research Approach. Journal of Medical Internet Research (2023).
- Interventions to improve self-management of adults living with HIV on Antiretroviral Therapy: A systematic review. PLOS ONE (2020).
- Self-management interventions for adolescents living with HIV: a systematic review. BMC Infectious Diseases (2021).
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