PREVALENCE OF LOW UPTAKE OF PRESCRIBED DOSAGE OF ADJUNCT THERAPIES AMONG PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV AIDS IN BUGESERA DISTRICT IN RWANDA

Globally, adjunct therapy uptake of correct and sufficient prescribed dosage among People Living with HIV / AIDS, PLWHAs ,remain a big challenge and, varies, in the global regions, with high rates in the USA (70-85%), while Rwanda's overall viral load suppression rate is 76.0% (MOH, 2022). Despite progress, adherence challenges persist, particularly among adolescents and young adults, with notable regional and gender disparities in therapy uptake. Therefore, the study aims to assess the factors contributing to the low uptake of prescribed dosages of adjunct therapies among people living with HIV/AIDS in Nyamata Level II Teaching Hospital. Specifically, to determine the prevalence of prescribed dosage of adjunct therapy and immunotherapy uptake among PLWHAsand lastly evaluate how knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) contribute to immunotherapy non-adherence. The study intends to enable policymakers to provide insightsand solutions via informed targeted interventions to enable improved adherence rates and overall health outcomes in population health. The study used mixed-methods, with descriptive cross-sectional cohort and triangulation designs. Quantitative datawas collected using structured questionnaires on a survey of 280 PLWHAs. Qualitative data was collected by saturated, interviews of focus group discussions FGDs and key informant interviews KIIs guides. Data analysis by cross-tabulation of descriptive and inferential statistics and managed by SPSS version 27 software and Excel program. Ethical Approval School of postgraduate MKU, clearance from the MKU ethical committee and Nyamata Level II Teaching Hospital research committee. Results and findings opined that the majority of participants affected were female participants 64.9% (182), and males were only 35.1 % (98), showing females had a higher health-seeking behavior compared to their male counterparts. Prevalence of adjunct uptake was only 55% with a significant standard deviation of (8.8 for males and 10.3 for females), suggesting consistent therapy uptake in the study area thus health education to improve the uptake to mediate the non-adherence rates in the community health in near future