Increasing Motivational Interviewing Use Among Primary Care Providers Counseling on Weight Loss

The purpose of this project was to increase the use of weight loss counseling that integrated motivational interviewing (MI) techniques among primary care providers (PCPs) at a local primary practice. A quality improvement initiative was offered to 20 PCPs employed by seven community-based family practice clinics located in Northern Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. The project was organized into three phases. Phase one consisted of a baseline survey and a free online MI course. The second phase included a role-playing exercise via videoconference and a post-training survey. The final phase asked PCPs to complete a utilization survey. Out of the 20 PCPs, two providers completed all three phases of this project. Results from the two providers showed that their learning increased about MI techniques and they gained confidence in their ability to integrate MI into weight loss counseling. This study supports findings that brief MI training sessions can teach MI skills to a variety of healthcare professionals. Future efforts may include providing greater incentive to PCPs to develop and polish their understanding of MI techniques, and how they can seamlessly integrate them into their weight loss counseling efforts.