# Feasibility, acceptability, and pilot trial of a real-time electronic adherence monitoring intervention for antiretroviral therapy

> **NIH NIH R34** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2023 · $710,727

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
African American men who have sex with men (AAMSM) have high HIV infection rates and disproportionate
mortality. Critical to ending the HIV epidemic are efforts to reduce HIV transmission by optimizing ART
adherence and suppressing viral load. We propose using responsive electronic adherence monitoring (EAM) in
a tiered approach from least to most resource utilization where the EAM device alerts the medication user at
the time nonadherence is detected and a pre-identified social support person or case manager when 2 or 7
consecutive days of nonadherence are detected, respectively. We call our approach “A-Team” (Antiretroviral
Therapy Electronic Adherence Monitoring) because we provide a team serving a common goal to persons
struggling with adherence. This intervention draws on the situated Information Motivation Behavioral Skills
Model and is informed by emerging social support literature. Real-time ART adherence monitoring with a
triaged response to missed doses informs the patient in real-time of each potential nonadherence event,
motivates medication adherence, and positively influences adherence behavioral skills, resulting in viral
suppression. This study will be the first to discover how social support persons and case managers perceive
this approach, what concerns they may have, and how they respond to one or multiple notifications of missed
doses. The aims of this application are to determine the acceptability and feasibility of real-time adherence
monitoring in support persons and case managers of AAMSM and to pilot a triaged responsive real-time
monitoring adherence intervention for AAMSM. We will implement a 6-month pilot randomized controlled trial
among 54 AAMSM living with HIV and measure ART adherence and viral suppression (the primary outcome).
Lessons learned from this project may be useful to the field of adherence in these and other persons living with
HIV and other diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10759928
- **Project number:** 1R34MH132432-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Mark S Dworkin
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $710,727
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-08-01 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10759928

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10759928, Feasibility, acceptability, and pilot trial of a real-time electronic adherence monitoring intervention for antiretroviral therapy (1R34MH132432-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10759928. Licensed CC0.

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