Dedicating time for building rapport with patients through open-ended questions and active listening is crucial. The educational videos on motivational interviewing techniques can be found at: bit.ly/4b5tzsW a patient’s values and experiences into the discussion of change. Instead of relying solely on being directive, a dentist can also take a guiding approach through an exploration of the patient’s feelings, experiences, and readiness for change. “It’s a conversational style that investigates someone’s personal reasons for and resistance to change, which can help them articulate their own motivation and plan for change,” she says. Open-ended questions encourage the patient to do most of the talking, help avoid premature judgments, and keep communication moving forward. Open-ended questions often start with words such as “how,”“what,”“tell me about,” and “describe.” In most cases, you can start with general questions and then get more specific to clarify issues and focus the discussion. Motivational interviewing helps to build a relationship of mutual trust. “We need to trust that our patients have the wisdom to identify what is good for them, while respecting where they are on a continuum of change,” she says. “And our patients soon realize that we are listening to them and understanding who they are and what they value.” In collaborationwithDr.AiméeDawson at Laval University, Dr. Makansi has created an instructional video tool to bring motivational interviewing techniques to the classroom. “The videos show exaggerated versions of different approaches to conversations about behaviour change that students can discuss in class,” she says. “But they could also be helpful refreshers for clinicians and their teams.” Dr. Makansi says that mastering motivational interviewing techniques takes some practice. Dedicating time for building rapport with patients through open-ended questions and active listening is crucial. Diagnostic questions required to fill out the medical chart, while important, should not take precedence over humanizing the patient’s experience. A motivational interviewing approach may seem to take up more time in the beginning, but it eventually pays off as patients become more committed to their self-articulated goals. This not only saves time down the line but also prevents burn out among dentists. Watch the full conversation with Dr. Makansi on CDA Oasis: bit.ly/3O4dauU CORE SKILLS OF MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING Affirmations are used to validate the patient’s feelings, ideas or efforts.They also express appreciation and understanding of both difficulties and strengths in coping with problems. Affirmations promote self-confidence and efficacy for the patient, which are necessary for change. Reflective listening involves careful listening with the goal of understanding the meaning of what the patient says.A reflection can be simply reflecting the patient’s own words back at them or inferring the unspoken meaning of what was said and reflecting it back using new words or phrases. Offering reflections is a way of checking for meaning that demonstrates that you have accurately heard and understood the patient. Summarizing reinforces what has been said, shows that you have been listening carefully, and prepares the patient to move from one idea to the next. Summaries don’t have to be comprehensive; you can select what information to include, minimize, or leave out to best reinforce any conversations about change.You can also add information to help explore a patient’s feelings of ambivalence. 21 Issue 1 | 2024 | Issues and People
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