Motivational interviewing, which is often used in addiction medicine to get buy-in from patients to alter their behavior, is also a technique that primary care physicians can use to help their patients change unhealthy behaviors from poor diet to lack of exercise, according to Auguste Fortin, VI, M.D., of the Yale School of Medicine.
With motivational interviewing, the decision to change behavior comes from the patient, said doctors who participated in a recent American College of Physicians workshop. A physician or other healthcare professional can begin what's called "change talk" and help strengthen a patient's motivation and commitment to change behavior, Fortin said, according to a Medscape Medical News report.
"Motivational interviewing isn't a strategy or a trick or a way to get people to do what you want them to do. It's actually a spirit, a way of being with our patients," Fortin said.
Rather than advising a patient to modify their behavior, the physician assesses the patient's readiness to change and helps devise a plan for success.
Studies have shown the technique has helped patients lose weight, lower blood pressure and adhere to HIV medication, according to the report. A physician begins by asking the patient if he or she wants to make any behavior changes. If a patient is open to change, the physician can share two or three ideas to make that happen and ask the patient for his or her own ideas. Instead of telling patients why they should change, the doctor can draw out the patient's ideas about why change would benefit them and how they might be able to accomplish it.
To learn more:
- read the article