Compliance, adherence, concordance, empowerment, and self-management: five words to manifest a relational maladjustment in diabetes

The pathological reality of diabetes and the incidents in following the prescribed therapies have been considered and are still a serious and relevant problem in the health sector. This review aims at highlighting the importance of clinical psychological phenomena that underlie the notion of therapies. The review was conducted through search engines such as PubMed, Medline, Web of Science and Google Scholar. The articles related to compliance, adherence, concordance, empowerment and the self-management of diabetes were included, in order to highlight the possible similarities and differences that these terms bring with them in them management of diabetes. Starting from 252 initial publications, 101 articles were selected that highlighted the practical implications that each term has compared to the others. The review can represent a bridge between the medical approach and clinical psychology, in which integration can suggest paths aiming at improving patients' existential conditions and adaptation.