Evaluation of the effect of motivational interviewing counselling on hypertension care.

OBJECTIVE

This study tests the effectiveness of motivational interviewing compared with the usual care for Chinese hypertensive patients.

METHODS

A randomised controlled trial was used. One hundred and twenty eligible participants were randomly assigned to either the control group (usual care group) or the intervention group (motivational interviewing group).

RESULTS

The results of this study demonstrated that the total scores and the mean scores for each dimension of the adherence questionnaire were increased in the intervention group (P<0.05), and the systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure of the hypertensive patients greatly decreased in the intervention group during the six months of the motivational interviewing counselling (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

The application of motivational interviewing for hypertensive patients is a promising approach for sustaining the clinical benefits of adherence behaviour.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Motivational interviewing should be provided to hypertensive patients at hospitals and community health centres to assist patients in controlling their BP and to enhance treatment adherence. A series of training courses on the motivational interviewing technique should be provided to nurses.