[The application of motivational interviewing in nursing practice]

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a client-centered approach aimed to enhance a client's motivation to change behaviors and to move him or her to action. MI focuses on client desires, thoughts and feelings as a way to encourage clients to express their own barriers to change and to explore and resolve ambivalence to behavioral change. Motivational interviewing has been applied in a variety of conditions, including substance abuse cessation, obesity treatment, treatment adherence, enhance of diet and exercise behaviors and the prevention and management of chronic diseases. Evidence from research has demonstrated that motivational interviewing is effective in improving client lifestyle and health outcomes. There are four guiding principles in conducting motivational interviews include expressing empathy, developing discrepancies, backing off when encountering resistance, and supporting self-efficacy. In addition, five basic therapeutic skills are often used in the interview process, including reflective listening, asking open questions, affirming, weight of cons and pros, summarizing. The principles and skills discussed in this paper will help nurses better understand the "spirit" of motivational interviewing and facilitate their further application them in clinical practice to promote client self-awareness and instill a motivation to change health behaviors.