A randomized controlled pilot study of motivational interviewing to changeattitudes about adherence to medications for asthma

The day-to-day management of asthma relies on patient self-care practices; in particular, adherent use of asthma medications is fundamental for asthma management. However, most persons with asthma do not use their medications to clinically acceptable standards. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of a brief educational intervention to enhance knowledge and s kills relevant to asthma self-care, and the efficacy of motivational interv iewing to improve attitudes toward taking medications as prescribed. Twenty -five adults with asthma were randomly assigned to receive a brief educatio nal intervention alone, or education plus motivational interviewing. Over t ime, all participants improved their knowledge of asthma and skills using a metered dose inhaler. Participants who received education alone showed a d ecreased level of readiness to adhere with their medications over time, whe reas participants who received motivational interviewing were more likely t o show a stable or increased level of readiness to adhere over time. Among participants who described themselves as not consistently adhering with the ir medications at the first evaluation, those who received motivational int erviewing endorsed more positive attitudes toward taking medications over t ime. The results are supportive of the utility of motivational interviewing in enhancing participants' attitudes toward adherent medication use. Futur e research should test if attitude change is reflected in change in medicat ion use.