Multimethod adherence assessment in children with perinatally acquired HIV-1: the influence of off-schedule dosing in predicting biological markers.

To improve upon adherence assessment in children with HIV, multimethod adherence strategies (pill count, missed doses, off-schedule dosing) were conducted concurrent with viral load and CD4% biomarker assays. Off-schedule dosing predicted both health status markers, while the more common strategies did not. Findings support inclusion of off-schedule dosing concurrent with collection of biomarkers to assess adherence in children with HIV.