Addressing concordance issues: how motivational interviewing strategies can complement the nurse prescribing consultation

Promoting concordance is an important aspect of the nurse prescribers role. It is estimated that over half of medications prescribed for chronic disease management are not taken properly or not taken at all. There are many different reasons why a patient may not take their prescribed medication correctly. This article will emphasise the need for nurse prescribers to think about patient motivation when addressing more complex concordance issues. It recommends the nurse prescriber incorporates some fundamental motivation interviewing tools into their repertoire of skills, thus helping patients who are not concordant with their medication.