Exploration of Adherence Clubs as a Model of Care for Patients: a Literature Review

Abstract

The basis of outcomes assessment in epidemiology provides a framework for analyzing and understanding potential relationships between outcomes and medical interventions. Adherence clubs are a community and facility based intervention that is targeted at decongesting health facility, improving quality of care and retaining patients on ART and chronic medication. The study sought to model the relationship between health outcomes and the implementation of the adherence clubs. A literature review was conducted on the internal and external factors that generally influence health outcomes among adherence club patients. Due to the limited literature on adherence clubs patients, general patient related health outcome literature was used in the construction of the model. Common themes were grouped into broad categories to map out the model. The study shows that there are individual, economic, social, and environmental factors that generally influence health outcomes among patients. Furthermore, these are likely to be the leading elements to improved health outcomes among adherence club members.