Engaging clinicians in motivational interviewing: Comparing online with face‐to‐face post‐training consolidation

Abstract

Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based intervention that has been widely recommended in clinical settings where consumer behaviour change is a goal of treatment. Training clinicians in MI, as with other translational endeavours, does not always result in changes to clinical practice. The present study compares two post-training approaches to consolidate MI skills following a training workshop. We randomly assigned 63 clinicians working in mental health or drug and alcohol services to receive either face-to-face group consolidation sessions or to access a series of online consolidation resources. We compared clinician engagement and devised a new instrument to measure clinician outcomes. Participants who completed follow-up consolidation retained knowledge, attitudes, and practices, regardless of consolidation method. Face-to-face consolidation sessions were superior to online materials in engaging participants (mean sessions attended was 2.1 (maximum possible = 3) compared to a mean of 1.38 sessions, respectively (t(61) = -2.73, P = 0.008, d = 0.72, 95% confidence interval: 0.19-1.25). Engagement to the completion of consolidation sessions was also influenced by previous training in MI. For every additional hour of previous MI training, there was a 10% increase in the odds that the participant would complete the final consolidation session.

Providing physical health care for people accessing mental health services: Clinicians’ perceptions of their role

“…Disease prevention is likely to achieve maximum long-term benefits. This model, which recognizes the significance of engagement, autonomy, and collaboration in facilitating behaviour change, has been promoted in mental health services within the study area by clinical leaders over a number of years (Clancy & Taylor 2016). This model, which recognizes the significance of engagement, autonomy, and collaboration in facilitating behaviour change, has been promoted in mental health services within the study area by clinical leaders over a number of years (Clancy & Taylor 2016).…”

“…A challenge clinicians' face is to influence consumers' beliefs about health behaviours, build motivation, and capacity for lifestyle change within the resource limitations of their environment utilizing client centred approaches such as that outlined in motivational interviewing (Miller & Rollnick 2013). This model, which recognizes the significance of engagement, autonomy, and collaboration in facilitating behaviour change, has been promoted in mental health services within the study area by clinical leaders over a number of years (Clancy & Taylor 2016).…”

Online training for substance misuse workers: A systematic review

“…Fourteen articles reported changes in knowledge, skills, attitude or behaviour compared to controls, face-to-face, delayed or "attentional" (irrelevant) training. One reported that face-toface learning produced improved learning outcomes compared to online learning, but that this improvement was not significant (Clancy and Taylor, 2016). The difference appeared to be moderated by engagement with the course, with poorer outcomes attributed to online participants accessing fewer training sessions than the face-to-face group.…”

“…Five of these provided written manuals to a control group (Henggeler et al, 2013;Larson et al, 2013;Rawson et al, 2013;Sholomskas & Carroll, 2006;Sholomskas et al, 2005), two of the RCTs studied post-training support and offered no resources to the control group (Carpenter et al, 2012Smith et al 2012, and one study used a delayed training group as a control (Weingardt, Villafranca, & Levin, 2005). Of those studies that were not RCTs, one was a randomised trial comparing face-to-face and online training (Clancy & Taylor, 2016); two were randomised trials comparing different online training formats (Leykin, Cucciare, & Weingardt, 2011;Weingardt, Cucciare, Bellotti, & Lai, 2009); two were prototype, pilot or feasibility studies (Larson et al, 2009;Matejkowski, Dugosh, Clements, & Festinger, 2015); one was a crosssectional survey of substance misuse staff (Aletraris, Shelton, & Roman, 2015); one was a longitudinal study of online learning (Shafer, Rhode, & Chong, 2004), and one was a qualitative study reporting participant experiences of online learning (Curran et al, 2015).…”

“…The 16 articles comprised 14 unique studies: two articles reported different outcomes from the same trial comparing different online training formats (Leykin, Cucciare, & Weingardt, 2011;Weingardt, Cucciare, Bellotti, & Lai, 2009) and two reported the same clinician feedback system comparing immediate online, with delayed postal assessment methods (Carpenter et al, 2012;Smith et al, 2012). Twelve trials were based in the US, one was in Australia (Clancy & Taylor, 2016) and one was in the Republic of South Africa (Rawson et al, 2013).…”