Motivational Interviewing for Hearing Care Providers is a book about how to shift your communication style from ‘information giver’ to ‘tour guide’ in order to improve patient compliance and health outcomes, using motivational interviewing. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a conversation style that allows professionals to have purposeful conversations that aid the patient in making their desired change.
The book is highly engaging, easy to read and, while it can feel that some points are reiterated more frequently, the author suggests that it not be read in one sitting so as to allow you time to reflect. There are nine chapters, with easily digestible sections and reflective exercises and questions at the end of each one. It offers practical advice and examples of how to implement MI into the workplace. However, if you’re already strapped for time, some will feel impractical. It talks about the research behind MI and how it can be applied to audiology, but also touches on the lack of high-quality research into how beneficial MI can be in audiology. Importantly, it also briefly covers how to use it ethically.
The book does have an American lens and, due to that, does focus on MI from the angle of how it can benefit a private healthcare professional. Despite this, there are still many aspects that are relevant in the UK and for those who work for the NHS. The target audience would be all audiology professionals, from students to newly qualified or experienced professionals looking to help patients commit to treatment, improve health outcomes or broaden their scope of person-centred care.
Overall, I found the book to be up to date, informative and personally useful in terms of reflecting on and developing my own communication style. I hope to see more audiology-specific research into MI and how it could benefit patients.
