ABSTRACT
The most common reason for non-adherence to medication among older adults is forgetfulness. Contextual cues, such as daily routines, serve as implicit situational information that increases the retrieval process of the intended action. The main contribution is an overview of the process and the technical details of Ambient Computing displays we developed to help seniors use contextual cues to remember actions associated with medication intake (i.e. remember to take medications or remember having taken them earlier). Through a qualitative study, we obtained evidence about the potential of our technological approach to make seniors more responsible and independent for taking medications.
Las razones más comunes para que adultos mayores no se apeguen a la medicación es el olvido. Las rutinas de vida diaria sirven como pistas contextuales que mejoran el proceso cognitivo relacionado con recordar realizar una acción planeada. Nuestro propósito es presentar el proceso de desarrollo, así como detalles técnicos, de Sistemas de Cómputo Ambiental que proveen pistas contextuales al adulto mayor para ayudarle a recordar acciones de su medicación (e.g., recordar medicarse o recordar que se medicaron). Mediante un estudio cualitativo, obtuvimos evidencia del potencial de nuestra tecnología para que el adulto mayor sea más responsable e independiente para medicarse.
ABSTRACT
Assessment of the status and prognosis of an HIV-infected individual traditionally has been difficult for the clinician. The use of markers of disease progression such as CD4+ has been found to not be a complete indicator of the status of an HIV-infected individual. As a result, determining appropriate therapy for the treatment of this viral infection has been both unpredictable and challenging. Recent development of a laboratory assay has brought a new tool in the management of HIV. The assay is a quantitation of the amount of detectable HIV RNA and estimates the amount of HIV viral load or HIV viral burden present in the blood. Since the development of this assay, HIV RNA quantitation has rapidly become an important surrogate marker of HIV infection. In addition, this quantitation is used to determine the effectiveness of anti-HIV therapies. Understanding the differences and results of quantitative assays is imperative in the management of HIV-infected patients. This article summarizes the events leading to the creation of quantitative assays, explanations and comparisons of the current quantitative assays, and nursing considerations for the implications and uses of viral load markers.
