OARS: A structure for putting motivational interviewing into practice
You may be ready to embrace the spirit of motivational interviewing, but some structure can help. The OARS acronym offers four simple reminders.3
1. Open-ended questions. Avoid asking questions that can be answered with a “yes” or “no.” Broad questions allow patients maximum freedom to respond without fear of a right or wrong answer. It can be as simple as, “What's been going on with you since we last met?” Another question, appropriate for almost anyone, would be, “If you had one habit that you wanted to change in order to improve your health, what would that be?”
2. Affirmations. Never underestimate the power of expressing empathy during tough spots or in celebrating patients' accomplishments. When you review patients' goals, take joy in their success and show your joy. One of the authors (CF) even gives patients gold stars – the same ones distributed in elementary school. Patients love getting them and wear them proudly.
3. Reflective listening. Patients often have the answers; the physician's role is to help guide them. Reflective listening involves letting patients express their thoughts and then, instead of telling them what to do, capturing the essence of what they have said, with the purpose of eliciting conversation and helping them arrive at an idea for change. Here's an example: