The Role of Motivational Interviewing in Children and Adolescents in Pediatric Care

Motivational interviewing (MI) addresses patient ambivalence about a desired goal in a directed, patient-centered manner. MI intervention is established as a therapeutic tool within the pediatric population with positive outcomes for obesity, asthma, medication adherence, and HIV management. MI is especially promising within the adolescent population where increasing independence tends to contribute to poorer health outcomes. Multidisciplinary adaptation of the MI format works well to address traditionally difficult pediatric care issues such as obesity. In the future, MI training of physicians may incorporate an online medium for wider distribution. More research is required to determine the most efficacious style and to support the generalizability and reproducibility of MI interventions for widespread application.