Motivational interviewing: Enhancing patient motivation for behavior change

Abstract

The success of many therapies depends to a large degree on the extent to which patients engage with their treatment and adhere to the lifestyle changes that are recommended to them. However, this usually requires a high degree of effort and motivation on the part of the patient, and poor adherence is a common problem. A key task for occupational therapists (OTs), therefore, is enhancing motivation for behavior change. This is especially important given the increasing emphasis on helping patients to take more responsibility for their own care (Department of Health http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicy-AndGuidance/DH_4094550. Accessed 10 March 2009, 2004; Pill et al. J Adv Nurs 29:1492-1499, 1998). Motivational interviewing has been shown to be an effective and efficient method for use in occupational therapy (Antonisen Luleå University Student thesis: Bachelor thesis, 2012) for building motivation for behavior change in a number of problem areas (Hettema et al. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 1(1):91-111, 2005).