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Improving mental health and quality of life: How a nurse-led program used PozQoL to support PLHIV in South Korea
In South Korea, addressing the mental health of people living with HIV (PLHIV) has become an important part of holistic HIV care. Depression and challenges with adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) often impact quality of life, posing significant barriers to effective treatment. To address these issues, researchers explored the impact of a nurse-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Adherence and Depression (CBT-AD) program.
The study used the PozQoL scale to measure quality-of-life improvements. Results from this clinical setting underscore PozQoL’s effectiveness in monitoring QoL for PLHIV and its potential for supporting mental health in diverse care settings.
Adapting mental health support for limited resources
With limited access to clinical psychologists in HIV care settings in Korea, the study explored an innovative solution: training nurses to deliver CBT-AD sessions under the supervision of psychologists. PozQoL, alongside the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), was used to measure changes in quality of life and mental health outcomes over time.
The intervention focused on PLHIV with depression or ART adherence rates below 90%. Five male participants received weekly CBT-AD sessions over a 12-week period. PozQoL was administered at baseline, mid-program, and after 12 weeks, with follow-ups conducted at 4 and 8 months. This structured approach provided a consistent way to monitor quality of life at key stages and assess the intervention’s effectiveness.
Positive outcomes
The results showed promising improvements. The mean PozQoL score rose from 28.0 at baseline to 36.8 by the end of the program, reaching 38.2 after eight months. This increase suggests that participants experienced better quality of life following the intervention.
Participants reported increased confidence in managing their HIV treatment and mental health, with improved adherence to ART. Participants and healthcare providers found the nurse-delivered CBT-AD program feasible. Both groups expressed strong interest in incorporating it into routine care. The study highlights the practicality of pairing structured mental health interventions with tools like PozQoL to enhance care in settings with limited mental health resources.
Practical insights for routine care
This pilot project demonstrates the utility of PozQoL in clinical settings and provides insights for other healthcare providers considering similar interventions. The use of PozQoL to track quality of life over time in conjunction with mental health support could prove useful for interventions across different cultural and resource-limited contexts. This study also exemplifies how PozQoL can support mental health interventions for PLHIV across different cultural and resource-limited contexts. Its ability to track quality of life over time provides healthcare providers and researchers with actionable data to refine care strategies and better meet the needs of PLHIV.
About the project
This research was conducted at Severance Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, in collaboration with Yonsei University researchers and with support from ViiV Healthcare.
Check out the full 2022 research publication for more information.
This story was originally written by published on 20 July 2020 under the title ‘PozQoL used as an outcome measure in South Korean study’. It has been updated to reflect new developments and refine its content and presentation.
