ABSTRACT
Motivational interviewing has been practised in the UK primary care setting over many years; a popular intervention because it enables the primary care doctor to address questions of behaviour change in a non-confrontational manner, exploring the reasons for change, eliciting and exploring concerns with the aim of creating a desire to change based upon confidence and optimism in its results. It departs from the practice of persuading the patient of the benefits of and need to change and has been applied to problems that require behavioural change in order to bring about improvements in health.
