Changes in Physical Therapist Students' Self Efficacy for Physical Activity Counseling Following a Motivational Interviewing Learning Module
Background and Purpose. Healthy People 2020 articulates the need for health professionals to incorporate health promotion counseling into their treatment programs to address personal behaviors that contribute to morbidity and premature mortality, such as smoking, insufficient physical activity, and poor diet. Physical therapists (PTs) have a unique opportunity to discuss health behaviors with their patients during treatment sessions. However, PTs have shown reluctance to engage in health promotion counseling due to a lack of confidence and inadequate training in counseling skills. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a patient centered counseling approach that has been shown to be both efficient and effective in supporting behavior change. The purpose of this case report was to determine if a 4 hour MI learning module increased PT student self efficacy for counseling patients to increase their level of physical activity. Case Description. Twenty eight thirdyear doctor of physical therapy students received 4 hours of instruction in MI. The learning module included lecture, video demonstrations, class discussions, student role playing, and practice with standardized patients. Prior to and following the module, students completed a self efficacy questionnaire that measured their level of confidence in counseling patients in the area of physical activity. The students also completed an evaluation of the module. Outcomes. Students had increased levels of self efficacy for counseling patients to increase their level of physical activity following the learning module (P .001) Furthermore, the majority of students (93% reported they were more likely to discuss physical activity with their patients. Discussion and Conclusion. A 4 hour MI learning module increased PT students' self efficacy for counseling patients in the area of physical activity. Future research should examine the students' competence in the technique and whether PT students engage in more health behavior counseling in the clinical setting as a result of this training.