Effectiveness of a motivational interviewing intervention on medication compliance.

This study investigated the effectiveness of training geriatric home-based primary care (HBPC) nursing staff in motivational interviewing (MI) techniques, with the goal of increasing patient medication adherence. Nursing staff received 4 hours of training in MI techniques from a licensed psychologist. Results indicated that the MI training increased medication adherence in the HBPC veteran sample by a small, but statistically significant, margin both 1 month and 6 months after the intervention. Although the effect size may be considered small, the clinical and cost ramifications of even a small gain in adherence are extremely important for the patient, clinician, and the medical facility. MI techniques may provide a cost-effective and impactful means of enhancing patient adherence to medications.