Doctors and Motivation

October 29th, 2010 by Amy Gonsalves Leave a reply »

I got a notice from the ADA the other day that someone did a study to see how weight loss changed based on how medical advice/recommendations was offered by physicians. 

Gee, go figure: cajoling‚ coaxing‚ scolding‚ and reproach have all been found ineffective [for weight loss].

It’s almost like some of the physicians had never tried to get anyone to do anything in their lives!  If you’ve ever even babysat you know that people don’t respond well to scolding or reproach.  (I’m sure some bosses at all sorts of jobs could stand to learn the same thing.)

The study found that the more effective method of counseling was what they called “motivational interviewing.”  Motivational interviewing enlists patients’ own desire for change‚ emphasizing that change cannot come from the doctor‚ but places doctor and patient in a collaborative effort. The study‚ published in the October issue of The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, noted that motivational interviewing has already been found effective for reducing alcohol use and smoking‚ and could hold promise in weight loss. 

I wonder how many doctors have thought about some of this; I’m sure quite a few have.  I hope everyone who is reading this blog finds a doctor who thinks about and uses motivational interviewing.

It’s worth it.  YOU are worth it!

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1 comment

  1. Renee says:

    lol, can you imagine saying to your doc, “have you ever thought of using motivational interviewing?” I was reading an article about this somewhere last week, and I agree. A good, solid, lecture is the best way to piss anyone off. Doctors need more bedside manners training!

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