This cross-sectional and quantitative study aimed to evaluate the adherence to drug treatment of the people with diabetes mellitus and its relation to clinical, treatment and metabolic control variables. Sample consisted of 162 people with type 2 diabetes mellitus on follow-up outpatient care. The Measure of Treatment Adherence and consultation to the participants' medical records were used for data collection. A high adherence to drug treatment was obtained. For a p<0.05, it was obtained an inverse correlation with diastolic blood pressure and a direct correlation with the frequency of daily administration of insulin and oral antidiabetic agents. There were no statistically significant correlations between adherence and metabolic control variables. Results diverge from the literature regarding the adherence to drug treatment in chronic diseases, as well as in the correlation between adherence and complexity of drug regimen, which points to the need for more studies on this theme.
Diabetes Mellitus; Patient Compliance; Nursing Care