E-DRUG: terms compliance and the patient (cont)
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I'm not sure we always hear the views of the patient in these discussions,
so I thought it relevant to quote the words of Jairo Enrique Pedraza in a
presentation to the WHO Informal Consultation 'The implications of
antiretroviral treatments', 29-30 April 1997. Jairo works for the Global
Network of People with HIV (GNP+):
"As a patient, many times I have not complied. The word in itself is very
disempowering. To comply means to do what you are told that you must
adhere to. It leaves very little space for self-determination, autonomy or
self-responsibility. It is just a word but it can make a real life
difference in how something is understood, and whether you decide to
comply or not."
The demonstrated fact that a large proportion of people with AIDS fail to
'comply' with their regimens, despite the fact that they know that these
are their lifeline, shows that much more attention is needed to the many
aspects, including terminology, which impact on this.
Chris
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Chris W. Green (chrisg@rad.net.id)
AIDS Activist
Jakarta, Indonesia
Tel: +62-21 846-3029 Fax: +62-21 846-1247
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