Is the quality of the patient-provider relationship associated with better adherence and health outcomes for patients with HIV?

Abstract

PURPOSE: Patient-centeredness, originally defined as understanding each patient as a unique person, is widely considered the standard for high-quality interpersonal care. The purpose of our study was to examine the association between patient perception of being "known as a person" and receipt of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), adherence to HAART, and health outcomes among patients with HIV. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. SUBJECTS: One thousand seven hundred and forty-three patients with HIV. MEASUREMENTS: Patient reports that their HIV provider "knows me as a person" and 3 outcomes: receipt of HAART, adherence to HAART, and undetectable serum HIV RNA. RESULTS: Patients who reported that their provider knows them "as a person" were more likely to receive HAART (60% vs 47%, P