Compliance, adherence, concordance, empowerment, and self-management: five words to manifest a relational maladjustment in diabetes

Abstract

Salvatore Settineri,1 Fabio Frisone,2 Emanuele Maria Merlo,2 Daniele Geraci,3 Gabriella Martino31Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy; 2Department of Cognitive Sciences, Psychology, Educational and Cultural Studies (COSPECS), University of Messina, Messina, Italy; 3Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, ItalyBackground: The pathological reality of diabetes and the incidents in following the prescribed therapies have been considered and are still a serious and relevant problem in the health sector.Objective: This review aims at highlighting the importance of clinical psychological phenomena that underlie the notion of therapies.Methods: The review was conducted through search engines such as PubMed, Medline, Web of Science and Google Scholar. The articles related to compliance, adherence, concordance, empowerment and the self-management of diabetes were included, in order to highlight the possible similarities and differences that these terms bring with them in them management of diabetes.Results: Starting from 252 initial publications, 101 articles were selected that highlighted the practical implications that each term has compared to the others.Conclusion: The review can represent a bridge between the medical approach and clinical psychology, in which integration can suggest paths aiming at improving patients’ existential conditions and adaptation.Keywords: compliance, adherence, concordance, empowerment, self-management, diabetes

Keywords

• Compliance
• Adherence
• Concordance
• Empowerment
• Self-management
• Diabetes.