The relationship between treatment adherence, health literacy, and family support in type 2 diabetes patients

The research was conducted in descriptive and correlational design to determine the relationship between treatment adherence, health literacy, and family support in patients with type 2 diabetes. The study was carried out at a state hospital in Istanbul between December 2022 and July 2023. The study population consisted of 205 patients who met the criteria and volunteered to participate in the research. "Patient Identification Form," "Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Treatment Adherence Scale," Health Literacy Scale, and Hensarling Diabetes Family Support Scale were used to collect data in the study. The mean score on the Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Treatment Adherence Scale was 91.36±7.14, the mean score on the Health Literacy Scale was 78.76±9.11, and the mean score on the Hensarling Diabetes Family Support Scale was 69.97±8.02. According to these values, patients' compliance with treatment and health literacy are at medium level and family support is above medium level. Patients with low compliance with treatment have a higher rate of hospitalization in the last year. Patients with low health literacy and family support have higher HbA1c and fasting blood glucose values. As patient access to health information and empathic family support increase, so does treatment compliance. Patients need to improve their health literacy and compliance with treatment, and encourage their relatives to support the patient more.