Nursing strategies to improve treatment adherence in patients with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Introduction: type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a highly prevalent chronic disease, projected to affect more than 700 million adults by 2045. Improving adherence to treatment remains a challenge in Latin America and Ecuador, due to communication and socioeconomic barriers. Patient-centred nursing strategies and digital health emerge as promising alternatives. Methods: a qualitative and descriptive systematic review was conducted under PRISMA 2020 and the PICO approach, including studies from 2020 to 2025 in recognised scientific databases, evaluated with CASP and JBI. Results: the data, summarised in tables, show that the nursing strategies identified to improve adherence to treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes were grouped into educational interventions, behavioural support, continuous monitoring and use of technological reminders. The quality of the studies was assessed through criteria such as the validity of the instruments and the relevance of the findings. Conclusión: personalised and tailored nursing strategies optimise glycaemic control and quality of life, and standardised protocols and evidence for clinical practice are recommended.