Talks about change helped people take their medicine more often.

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   2,529 adults took part in 17 trials, 14 of them in the USA. Ten trials studied people on HIV medicines, and the average age was about 43.

2. 02

   What they did

   Motivational talks were given in person, by phone or in groups, and most lasted 45 to 60 minutes. The other groups got usual care or general health information. Programmes lasted up to three months in eight trials and four to 12 months in nine.

3. 03

   What happened

   People who had motivational talks took their medicine more often than the other groups did, in both kinds of measure. The trials varied a lot, and the features linked to better results were not consistent. The review found no sign of missing trials.

What the review found

1. Helped

   Across 11 studies, more people who had the talks took enough of their medicine than the other groups.

   • Action: Talk through your mixed feelings about changingtested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 11 studies · vs people who got usual care or general health information

2. Helped

   Across 11 studies, people who had the talks took more of their doses on average than the other groups.

   • Action: Talk through your mixed feelings about changingtested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 11 studies · vs people who got usual care or general health information

Source