The impact of an incentive intervention on adherence to treatment and metabolic control of people with diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Introduction: Medication adherence is important for the effectiveness of the diabetes mellitus (DM) treatment, minimizing the occurrence of injuries. Forgetfulness, disappointment at the lack of a cure, lack of knowledge about the disease and medications are some of the challenges to ensure this adherence. A promising intervention favorable to the treatment of these patients is the sending of reminders by apps to take the medication, providing the patients with autonomy in their own care. Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of a positive incentive intervention through text messages via a cell phone application in the treatment adherence of people with DM. Method: This is a randomized, longitudinal and prospective experimental study, made up of 43 patients with DM from an outpatient clinic, allocated into three groups for forwarding messages through Whatsapp®: group 1, who did not receive messages, group 2, who received monthly and group 3, which received three times a week. Adherence to treatment, improvement in quality of life and metabolic parameters were evaluated. Results: The average time of diagnosis for DM was greater than 10 years, most patients had reasonable knowledge about DM, did not perform physical activities and had inadequate glycated hemoglobin and BMI values. The main factor associated with low medication adherence was forgetfulness. Conclusion: Social media are important allies in health promotion. The present study contributes to the development of initiatives in favor of patients with diabetes, providing greater visibility for this public of chronically ill people who often have their care neglected.