Objective: To analyze the evidence available in the literature on the effectiveness of text messages in the adherence to antiretroviral therapy in adults.
Method: Integrative review. The search for primary studies was carried out in MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, LILACS, and SCOPUS and the sample consisted of 18 studies, in April 2019, with no time delimitation.
Results: The synthesis of the evidences indicated that, of the 18 analyzed articles, 11 showed an increase in the adherence rates to antiretroviral therapy and an increase in CD4, after using text messages.
Conclusion: Text messages are an important tool for health education and the synthesis of knowledge can help nurses to obtain increasingly substantive adherence rates in relation to antiretroviral therapy.