Abstract:
Abstract
Introduction: The toxicity of the therapeutic regimen, treatment failure, and resistance to
existing HIV medications becomes a challenge in resource-limited settings. To tackle this
dolutegravir-based regimen has been started. However; there is a paucity of evidence in subSaharan
countries on its virologic outcome, treatment satisfaction and associated factors of
dolutegravir based regimen.
Objectives: To assess the virological outcome, treatment satisfaction and associated factors
of dolutegravir based regimen among adult human immunodeficiency virus patients attending
at Debre Markos referral 2020.
Methods: A pre-post study was carried out starting from May 2018 – August 2020 on HIV
patients who took dolutegravir based regimen for a year. A one-year retrospective data before
(with-in 12 months before DTG) and after initiation of dolutegravir based regimen was
collected.
A systematic random sampling technique was used to collect data from June 25 to August 25
2020 at Debre Markos referral hospital. It was entered into EPI Info and exported to SPSS
version 23 for analysis. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was used to identify
factors. Variables with p<0.05 were considered as statistically significant.
Result: From a total of 359, 349 participants (97.2%) responded to the study. The proportion
of virological suppression was found to be 92 %. Good adherence (AOR=6.2, 95% CI: 1.93,
20.11) and duration on ART (AOR=1.02, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.04) were associated with
virological suppression. The level of treatment satisfaction was found to be 70.5%.
Conclusion: Dolutegravir based regimen maintains high virologic suppression and treatment
satisfaction. Adherence and duration on ART were associated with virologic outcomes.
Therefore, designing effective mechanisms to establish good adherence and viral suppression
is important.
Keywords: dolutegravir, treatment satisfaction, virologic outcome, HIV, Debre-Markos
