If you’re new to Motivational Interviewing, or even if you’ve been using it for a while, you probably know the importance of using open or open-ended questions. Open questions can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”; rather, they encourage the patient to share information that you might not get otherwise. Sometimes, in our attempt to connect with a patient, we accidentally close our open question. This is a common Motivational Interviewing mistake. Here ’s what that ca

If you’re a healthcare practitioner working in English as an additional language and you want to improve interactions with your patients, steal these three phrases: 1. "That is an incredibly difficult position to be in." This phrase works after almost any unexpected patient disclosure – particularly something like financial hardship, for example. It’s important to acknowledge challenges, not simply dismiss them and move on to your next point. 2. "What would need to be differe

More explanation and persuading doesn't encourage patients to change their minds - curiosity does.

If you work in clinical healthcare and speak English as an additional language, there is a good chance you end most of your appointments with some version of this question: 'Do you have any questions?' It feels like good practice. If you are a student of motivational interviewing, it serves as an open question. It gives the patient a chance to speak before you close. Almost every healthcare professional uses it, and it also almost never works. Why It Fails There are three rea

Clear patient communication is both a language and a clinical skill. For healthcare professionals working in English as an additional language, small communication patterns can unintentionally affect patient trust, understanding, and safety. Here are the five most common issues I observe in clinical interactions. 1.     Asking Closed Questions Instead of Open Questions Closed questions can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”.  “Do you have pain?” “Is it severe?” This prev