WHEN THE CONSULTATION ENDS: Continuity of Care and Emotional Repercussions in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus
Keywords:
Diabetes mellitus, Anxiety, Diabetes distress, Continuity of care, Mental healthAbstract
Diabetes mellitus requires continuous monitoring, frequent decision-making, and active self-management. In this context, the interval between appointments may be experienced not only as chronological time but also as a period of insecurity, burden, and emotional distress. This narrative review analyzed evidence published from 2021 to 2025 on the relationship between continuity of care, follow-up between appointments, and emotional distress among people with diabetes mellitus. Searches were conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, BVS/LILACS, and SciELO, with complementary manual searching in the reference lists of included studies. The evidence indicated that psychosocial needs often remain insufficiently addressed in routine diabetes care and that integrated, collaborative, and virtual models of follow-up tend to reduce diabetes distress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms while improving engagement in care. The findings suggest that the interval between appointments should also be understood as a relational and psychosocial phenomenon.
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References
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