Motivational Interviewing & Primary Care

To improve health outcomes, today’s physicians must be able to communicate effectively with their patients. One approach many experts encourage physicians to use is motivational interviewing (MI), a series of techniques to get at the root of patient concerns and help encourage them to make healthy behavior changes.

MI intervention is established as a therapeutic tool within the pediatric population with positive outcomes for obesity, asthma, medication adherence, and HIV management. MI is especially promising within the adolescent population where increasing independence tends to contribute to poorer health outcomes. Multidisciplinary adaptation of the MI format works well to address traditionally difficult pediatric care issues such as obesity. In the future, MI training of physicians may incorporate an online medium for wider distribution. More research is required to determine the most efficacious style and to support the generalizability and reproducibility of MI interventions for widespread application.

Nobody likes to be lectured. An alternative approach, motivational interviewing, emphasizes respect for the patient’s autonomy, and works better with overweight kids.

David B. Wright, MD, discusses the technique of motivational interviewing, and how he has used it to successfully improve the health of patients with complex chronic conditions

Despite ongoing efforts to combat it, such as the AMA’s 2013 official recognition of obesity as a disease, the problem continues to worsen

People with psychotic disorders have reduced life expectancy largely because of physical health problems, especially cardiovascular disease, that are complicated by the use of tobacco and cannabis.

Within a trial of intensive treatment of people with screen-detected diabetes, which included training in motivational interviewing for GPs, the study examined the effect of the intervention on incident cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.

Telephone-based motivational interviewing may improve a patient’s rate of initiating behavioral therapy for treatment of migraine, according to study results published in Headache.

Arterial hypertension is considered a chronic medical problem and also a challenging condition. The present study aimed to compare the effects of motivational interviewing and teach-back on people with hypertension.

A study from Aarhus University now shows that a motivational interview with a GP can have a preventative effect. The results have just been published in the scientific journal BJGP Open.

Weight loss approaches should include patient-centric goals, which may be enhanced by the use of behavior modification strategies. There are online tools available to assist patients and renal dietitians in the creation of a healthy meal plan to support weight loss.

M.I. is now the basis of a Canadian program led by Dr. Danielle Auger of the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services to install “vaccination counselors” in every Quebec maternity ward by 2021.

There are safe and well-tolerated level A evidence-based behavioral therapies for the prevention of migraine. They are biofeedback, cognitive behavioral therapy, and relaxation. However, the behavioral therapies for the prevention of migraine are underutilized.

After 16 weeks, 65% of those receiving MI were adherent to psychotherapy, compared with 31% of controls. The MI group also had significantly fewer seizures and better quality of life.

Children with autism are more likely than typically developing children to meet criteria for being considered overweight or obese in early childhood through adolescence

The researchers concluded that the Health Choices intervention performed well and led to improvements in the viral load and alcohol use. However, the clinic setting improved the trajectory of the ASSIST scores and performed better than home-based delivery with viral suppression.

Weight loss is most successful in heart attack survivors when partners join in the effort to diet.

Health coaching and behavior change patient engagement strategies are more effective in the clinic than in home-based settings, researchers found.