Background:

Due to the population’s aging, the prevalence of chronic illnesses, including diabetes mellitus, is increasing, and nurses have to face the challenges arising from the complexity of older adults’ medication regimens and their optimal management.

Objective:

To understand how older adults with diabetes mellitus manage their medication regimens.

Methodology:

This is a descriptive qualitative study using an inductive approach. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with older adults diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using content analysis.

Results:

Therapeutic success relates to how patients deal with the need to adhere to a medication regimen. Despite patients recognizing the need to take medication, intrinsic factors (such as gender and age) and extrinsic factors (treatment duration, underdeveloped health systems, and others) influence therapeutic success.

Conclusion:

The study allowed understanding how patients manage their medication regimens. It confirmed that low adherence rates compromised therapeutic success and identified the urgent need for interventions that address the specific needs of chronically-ill patients.

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