The family as a pillar in the management of chronic disease

a Diabetes Mellitus patient's perspective

Authors

  • Ivone Quaresma Unidade de Saúde Familiar Laços, Cortegaça, Portugal
  • Mary Silva Unidade de Saúde Familiar Laços, Cortegaça, Portugal
  • Rita Fernandes Unidade de Saúde Familiar Laços, Cortegaça, Portugal
  • Sandra Espada Unidade de Saúde Familiar Laços, Cortegaça, Portugal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48492/servir0216.40788

Keywords:

Chronic Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Family, Family Support

Abstract

Introduction: Clinical experience shows that families influence the state of health of their members and that the most satisfactory health care is where there is collaboration between health professionals, the patient and the family.

Objetives: To assess the importance and shortcomings in family support for patients with Diabetes Mellitus, from the patient's own perspective, in order to contribute to the optimization of family intervention strategies.

Methods: This quantitative analytical descriptive study was conducted with 100 patients with Diabetes Mellitus enrolled in a Family Health Unit. Guided interviews were applied using a questionnaire with pre-determined questions.

Results:The results show that patients attach great importance to family support, recognizing the family as an essential pillar in the management of Diabetes Mellitus. This support goes beyond physical care, highlighting above all the emotional and social support, considered fundamental for well-being and adaptation to the disease. With 86 users mentioning the importance of their family in emotional support, 68 in companionship, and 47 in managing the therapeutic regimen.

Conclusion:The study highlights the central role of the family in managing the disease.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2026-11-13

How to Cite

Quaresma, I., Silva, M., Fernandes, R., & Espada, S. (2026). The family as a pillar in the management of chronic disease: a Diabetes Mellitus patient’s perspective . Servir, 2(16), e40788. https://doi.org/10.48492/servir0216.40788

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 16 (2026)

Section

Artigos

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Ivone Quaresma, Mary Silva, Rita Fernandes, Sandra Espada

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

In order to promote the free circulation of knowledge, Servir is open access journal. All its content is available and protected under the Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).

The journal allows self-archiving in institutional repositories of all versions, which may become immediately available