The Role of Motivational Interviewing in Clinical Practice of Diabetes

<p>Type 1 diabetes is a type of diabetes in which insulin secretion is impaired due to the destruction of pancreatic beta cells by autoimmune mechanism. Insulin injection is the only treatment method for type 1 diabetes. Recently, the treatment for type 1 diabetes has made remarkable progress with new insulin products and blood glucose monitoring devices. Nevertheless, patients with type 1 diabetes must maintain insulin therapy throughout life, and inadequate glycemic control results in an extremely high incidence of diabetic complications, which worsens the prognosis. Patients with type 1 diabetes, which often develops during childhood and adolescence, tend to have insufficient glycemic control. I have been managing patients with type 1 diabetes for a long time, and often faced difficultly in motivating them to control blood glucose levels. I found motivational interviewing (MI) through the translation of the international guideline. MI was developed from counseling alcoholic clients, and its usefulness is recognized in a wide range of fields, including medicine, education, justice, and corrections. In MI, change talk (good remarks) was focused. The counselors in MI try to draw out the client’s change talk and aim to nurture talk toward change. With a spirit of compassion, MI guides clients in the direction of change, like dancing with them. I have experienced many positive changes in patients through learning MI. Currently, I am promoting the usefulness of MI as a trainer.</p>