O autocuidado em pacientes portadores de diabetes melito no Brasil: revisão integrativa.

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is characterized by a group of diseases that have hyperglycemia in common, due to defects in the production and action of insulin. Due to the fact of being a high incidence chronic disease, it requires self-care measures as part of its treatment, in the prevention of chronic and acute complications resulting from this disease. However, several factors can interfere with how the patient performs these measures. Objectives: Identify in the literature actions that encourage the implementation of self-care practices in patients affected by diabetes. Methodology: This is an integrative review, based on pre-established descriptors (diabetes and self-care), in the database of SciELO, LILACS, PubMed. Results and discussions: After the systematic selection, it was found 25 articles relevant to the topic, which addressed the various difficulties for the implementation of effective self-care in patients with diabetes mellitus, and emphasized the importance of education and longitudinal follow-up for the treatment of these patients. Conclusion: Selfcare is a fundamental part in the treatment of diabetic patients and should be effectively stimulated, identifying and correcting all factors that interfere with its effectiveness, and implementing a continuous, long-term follow-up for the patients affected by this disease.