An international Delphi consensus study to define motivational communication in the context of developing a training program for physicians

Training physicians to improve their behavior change counseling/communication skills is important, yet the evidence for the efficacy and acceptability of existing training programs is lacking and there is little consensus on the core competencies that physicians should master in the context of NCD management. The purpose of this study, led by a number of Can-Change members including Anda Dragomir, Vincent Gosselin Boucher and Drs Simon Bacon and Kim Lavoie, is to generate an acceptable, evidence-based, stakeholder-informed list of the core communication competencies that physicians should master in the context of NCD management.

Comment on Pladevall et al’s 2015 publication in The Diabetes Educator

Comment calling attention to the need for health professionals to be trained in motivational interviewing (MI) due to it being a highly complex clinical skill taking considerable time to learn and master and how health professionals trained in MI also require ongoing training and supervision. Can-Change members Dr. Tavis Campbell, Dr. Simon Bacon, Dr. Kim Corace, Dr. Kim L. Lavoie, and Dr. Michael Vallis contributed to this article.

Training Healthcare Providers in Motivational Communication: Do We Know What We Are Doing?

Regular physical activity (PA) is essential for secondary and tertiary prevention of cardiometabolic risk factors and disease, but low adherence to PA recommendations is common. Motivational communication (MC) shows promise for promoting PA adherence. However dissemination of MC strategies has been limited. We discuss preliminary considerations for training individuals in the use of MC. Future work is needed to establish what constitutes competent MC training to impact cardiometabolic health outcomes. Can-Change members Dr. Tavis Campbell, Dr. Simon Bacon, Dr. Kim Corace, Dr. Kim L. Lavoie, and Dr. Michael Vallis contributed to this article.