Effect of motivational interviewing on self-care of people with heart failure: a randomized clinical trial

Objective: To analyze the effect of motivational interviewing on self-care for people with chronic heart failure. Method: A multicenter randomized clinical trial, which divided people into an intervention group (n=59) and a control group (n=59), followed for 60 days in centers of Brazil and Uruguay. The intervention group received three consultations per motivational interviewing, with an interval of 30 days, and the control group maintained conventional follow-up in specialized clinics. The data were assessed using the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index 6.2, before and after intervention in each of the centers. They were analyzed using the mean, median, t-test, correlation analysis using the Spearman coefficient and effect of the intervention by Cohen's d. Results: One hundred and eighteen people completed the study. In view of the assessment of the effect of the motivational interviewing on self-care, compared to conventional follow-up, a medium effect on maintenance and management (Cohen's d=0.6723; 0.5086) and high on self-care confidence (Cohen's d=0.9877). Conclusion: Motivational interviewing was effective in improving self-care in patients with heart failure, being a feasible strategy to be implemented in specialized clinics.