The Impact of the Multidisciplinary Team on Medication Adherence in Type 2 Diabetes: A Narrative Review

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a highly prevalent chronic disease associated with multiple long-term conditions (Multimorbidity) requiring frequent reviews and escalating pharmacotherapy. However, attainment of glycemic targets in routine clinical practice remains suboptimal, with medication non-adherence representing a major contributor to the efficacy-effectiveness gap. This narrative review summarizes the impact of multidisciplinary team (MDT) care on medication adherence in people with T2DM. We searched MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL (9 December 2025), supplemented by Google Scholar and reference-list screening, to identify evidence on MDT models and medication adherence outcomes in adults with T2DM. We mainly included original research (n = 19) with the addition of relevant reviews (n = 2) and systematic reviews (n = 4). Overall, multifaceted interventions and collaborated care involving the MDT were associated with improved medication adherence, particularly where teams were integrated and preserved continuity rather than operating as parallel services. Medication focused MDT interventions, most commonly pharmacist led medication review and follow-up, were generally associated with improvements in adherence and, in some studies, improvements in outcomes such as quality of life and healthcare utilization. However, reliance on self-report measures and variable intervention intensity limited comparability. Behavioral adherence support, delivered by nurses or other MDT members using motivational and action planning techniques, showed modest improvements when objectively measured. Additionally, psychosocially integrated approaches addressing depression, diabetes distress and social vulnerability showed potential to improve adherence and clinical outcomes, though adherence was not consistently measured directly. Overall, MDT care appears most likely to improve adherence when interventions are structured, roles within the team are clearly defined, collaboration between professions is well integrated, behavioral and psychosocial barriers are addressed, and follow-up is of sufficient intensity and duration. Future research should standardize adherence outcomes, incorporate objective measures where feasible, control for additional consultation time, and evaluate durability and scalability of multifaceted MDT approaches beyond short-term follow-up.