The impact of Motivational Interviewing on the Activities of Daily Living of stroke patients

Objective: To investigate the impact of Motivational Interviewing on Activities of Daily Living(ADL) after stroke in rehabilitation process. Methods: We selected 60 stroke patients from a hospital in Tianjin, and divided them into experimental group and control group according to time, 30 cases in each group. The experimental group received 30-40 minute one-on-one Motivational Interview intervention on the basis of conventional care, and was given a "Handbook on Activities of Daily Living after stroke" as well as a three-month telephone follow-up. The control group received acupuncture and health education as usual care. The intervention effect on patients' ADL was evaluated by using the Barthel Index Scale before intervention, 2 days before being discharged, and 1 month and 3 months after being discharged. Results: The experimental group's ADL score was higher than those of the control group(P0.05). Moreover, the experimental group's ADL scores changed over time. It reached the highest at 2 days prior to discharge, and declined to average level gradually 3 month after discharge. Conclusion: Motivational Interviewing could improve patients' ADL ability and speed up their recovery process. The positive intervention effects would be undermined 3 months after discharge, and we should be alert on the appearance of relapse.