Evidence Based Motivational Interviewing Training for a Primary Care Practice.

Abstract

Healthcare delivery is rapidly evolving, as healthcare organizations are moving from a pay-per procedure system, towards a value based culture that focuses on quality, safety, patient experiences and outcomes. Research has shown that employee engagement and satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and patient outcomes are symbiotically interdependent, and increasing employee engagement and satisfaction is a proactive way of increasing patient satisfaction. The purpose of this Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to provide Motivational Interviewing (MI) training to employees of a primary practice setting to increase employee and patient engagement. The Iowa Model of Evidence Based Practice by Titler et al. (2001) was used to guide this practice change. From the evidence gathered through a literature synthesis, MI can be learned through brief interventions, and its use has been shown to produce positive outcomes with patient engagement and lifestyle behaviors. MI training was provided to seven employees of a primary care center through two modes: A two-part self paced computer module and an interactive patient simulation seminar. Likert scale surveys were used for pre and postintervention data, and an open ended/short answer survey was used to gather data 2-weeks post intervention. Data was analyzed through the use of average score comparisons, individual response trends, and qualitatively, with the use of the short/open answer responses. Results showed an increase of use, acceptance, and value of MI, and also showed that brief educational interventions can help to increase the knowledge and use of MI, which has the potential to have a collective positive impact on the population of patients who receive care at this clinic. The materials and methods can be applied to similar primary care centers within the organization, and a summary of the findings was disseminated to the DNP project stakeholders.