Aims: To examine specific self-care behaviours, depression, and diabetes-related stress among South Korean patients with type 2 diabetes and to evaluate whether these factors are related to glycaemic control.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 171 patients with type 2 diabetes who visited an endocrinology clinic. A structured questionnaire and electronic medical records were used to collect data regarding self-care behaviours, depression, diabetes-related distress, and glycaemic control between May 2015 and July 2015.
Results: Compared with the group with good glycaemic control, the group with poor glycaemic control had significantly lower values for medication adherence and significantly greater values for regimen-related distress. Depression was not significantly associated with glycaemic control. In logistic regression analysis, only medication adherence was independently associated with glycaemic control.
Conclusions: Medication adherence should be continuously emphasized and monitored in clinical practice to effectively manage glycaemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, consideration of diabetes-related distress may help improve glycaemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes.
Keywords: diabetes mellitus; glycaemic index; medication adherence; nurses; self-care.
© 2017 The Authors. International Journal of Nursing Practice Published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.