Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27481102›Full record

SynthesisJournal of behavioral medicine2016

Visual analogue scale (VAS) measurement of antiretroviral adherence in people living with HIV (PLWH): a meta-analysis.

David J Finitsis, Jennifer A Pellowski, Tania B Huedo-Medina, Matthew C Fox, Seth C Kalichman

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of behavioral medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
66citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

66 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Fluctuations in adherence to antihypertensive medication and cardiovascular outcomes: a secondary analysis of the SPRINT trial.Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension · 2026
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6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

David J FinitsisCenter for Health, Intervention, and Prevention, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA. david.finitsis@yale.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1988-008X
Jennifer A PellowskiCenter for Health, Intervention, and Prevention, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Tania B Huedo-MedinaCenter for Health, Intervention, and Prevention, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Matthew C FoxCenter for Health, Intervention, and Prevention, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Seth C KalichmanCenter for Health, Intervention, and Prevention, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.

Funding

Training in Social Processes of HIV/AIDST32MH074387 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS · PI KALICHMAN, SETH C · 2006 to 2020
$3.9M
NIMH NIH HHS T32 MH074387
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Effective treatment of HIV hinges upon maintaining adequate antiretroviral therapy adherence. Accurate, cost-effective measurement of medication adherence is needed to best respond to the HIV pandemic. The visual analogue scale (VAS) appears to be a simple and easy to use measure of adherence but the current literature on its use is mixed. This meta-analysis (1) describes VAS concordance with other measures of medication adherence and viral load; and (2) examines how research methods moderate the reported strength of the VAS-viral load relationship. Literature searches were conducted electronically and by hand with a total of 20 studies included in the present study. The VAS showed large strength associations with most other measures of adherence and a smaller association with viral load. More rigorous methodological quality significantly improved the VAS-viral load effect size. We conclude with optimization recommendations for VAS use in clinical practice and research design.

Indexed as

Visual Analog ScaleAnti-HIV AgentsHIV InfectionsHumansMedication AdherenceViral LoadAnti-HIV AgentsAdherence measurementHIVMedication adherenceMeta-analysisMethodological qualitymHealthViral loadVisual analogue scale

Identifiers

PMID27481102

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.