Association among therapeutic adherence, health literacy, and engagement in care: How to increase health-conscious management of HIV disease.

This article examines the relationship between antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, health literacy (HL), and engagement in care among 250 People Living with HIV (PLWH) receiving ART at Policlinico Gemelli in Rome, Italy. Using the Brief Health Literacy Screening (BHLS) and the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) to assess subjective and objective HL, the study found that poor adherence to ART was associated with lower education levels, shorter duration since HIV diagnosis, hepatitis C virus co-infection, detectable viral load, poorer health status, lower CD4 T-cell counts, and reduced engagement in care as measured by the Patient Health Engagement Scale (PHE-S). Higher HL levels correlated positively with better disease management, treatment adherence, and overall physical and mental well-being. The findings highlight the importance of improving HL and patient engagement to enhance ART adherence and health outcomes in PLWH.