Dental Hygienists’ Experiences with Motivational Interviewing: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing (MI) to change health behaviors is well documented. Previous studies support use of MI to change oral health behaviors in the areas of early childhood caries and periodontal diseases, but research is limited due to the sparse number of oral health care providers with training in MI. The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) formally integrated MI training into its dental hygiene curriculum ive years ago. Summative program evaluation of UMKC's MI training shows that it effectively equips graduates with MI skills. The aim of this qualitative study was to use semistructured interviews with nine program alumni to provide insight into the experiences of MI-trained dental hygienists in clinical practice. All interviews were captured with a digital voice recorder, were transcribed, and were resubmitted to the interviewees for checking. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: salience, best practices, barriers, facilitators, and lessons learned. These dental hygienists strongly valued and embraced the spirit of MI. They reported feeling strongly that it should be part of all dental hygiene curricula, and they upheld MI as a best practice. The participants approved of their MI instruction as a whole but felt it was dificult and sometimes not viable in practice. They reported that MI training had improved their communication skills and increased treatment acceptance. Time, dificulty, and managing patient resistance were the most often cited barriers, while a supportive climate and creating a routine were the most often cited facilitators.

Effect of Faculty Development Activities on Dental Hygiene Faculty Perceptions of and Teaching About Motivational Interviewing: A Pilot Study

“…These results support Miller et al's findings that training with coaching and feedback improved retention and that, when feedback was not provided, MI skills decreased over time 17 . Curry‐Chiu et al found that faculty training and buy‐in were important aspects of implementing MI in a curriculum 18 . Their study also reported that continual faculty training and support were needed for retention of MI skills.…”

“…At the end of the MI workshop, the participants’ perception that students had adequate time to incorporate MI strategies increased; that finding may be related to the momentum immediately following the workshop. The fact that the participants’ perceptions peaked immediately following the MI workshop also supports Curry‐Chiu et al's finding about the value of MI faculty training to provide skills needed for faculty to support students’ use during patient care 18 . Croffoot et al also found that dental hygiene students improved their MI skills after receiving coaching and feedback from faculty members who had attended a two‐day training session 10…”

“…In Kenny et al's study, learning was achieved when students observed those in professional roles and then applied those observations to their own practice. Curry‐Chiu et al found that faculty involvement in embracing the spirit of MI had an effect on dental hygiene graduates’ desire to implement MI in their professional practice 18 . The aims of our pilot study were to assess dental hygiene faculty members’ perceptions of the importance of motivational interviewing (MI) and their confidence in teaching students about MI and to determine the effect of MI training sessions on those perceptions.…”

“…As increased emphasis is placed on improvement of oral health and prevention of oral and systemic diseases, dental hygienists need to position themselves as effective providers of counseling regarding behaviors that impact their patients’ oral health 1 , 2 . The integration of MI training in dental hygiene curricula may improve students’ use of such counseling in their professional roles 18 …”

“…To adequately implement MI, faculty members need training 17 – 20 . Curry‐Chiu et al found that faculty training and buy‐in were important aspects of implementing MI in a curriculum 18 . The combination of MI training with coaching and feedback has been found to increase retention of MI skills 17 , 20 .…”