Enrich Patient Conversations With 4 Key Concepts,

1. OARSPrimarily Patient Lead
Secondarily Office/Provider Lead
Based on the teachings of Carlisle DDS, Lynn D (2014-10-22). “Motivational
Interviewing in Dentistry: Helping People Become Healthier”
Enriching the Patient Clinical Conversation

2. OO Open Questions
Open questions
open the door
instead of closing it
and invite the
patient to think
more, to ponder
their answer. They
give the patient
space to consider
their answer.
Carlisle DDS, Lynn D (2014-10-22).
Motivational Interviewing in Dentistry:
Helping People Become Healthier

3. OO Open Questions
“tell me about...”
“what have you
tried...”
“how do you feel
about…”
“where do you want…
”
“describe…”
“what else…”

4. AA Affirmations
Affirming is different than praisePraise
“I think you are doing great…”
“I am impressed with your effort..”
Affirming
“You must be happy that…”
“You must feel good that ..”
“Your effort is really making a difference..”

5. RR Reflections
Reflective listening is to:
“listen with real understanding”
Carlisle DDS, Lynn D
-you don’t have to be
right…
-guess as a statement…
-less likely to elicit defensiveness
-allows patient to tell you if
you are right or wrong

6. RR Reflections
“I know you believe you
understand what you think I
said, but I’m not sure you
realize that what you heard is
not what I meant.” Henry Tanner, DDS

7. S Summarization
Summaries allow you to tie
everything together and let
your patient feel heard.
3 types

8. SS Summarization
Miller and Rollnick (2013) list three types of summaries:
Collecting summary
– collects or feeds back the things the client has talked about.

9. SS Summarization
Linking summary
– it reflects back what the client has said and links it to previous
things the client mentioned in the conversations with you.

10. S Summarization
Transitional summary
– puts a bow on what the client has said by reflecting what you
felt is important and transitions or shifts to something new.
Carlisle DDS, Lynn D (2014-10-22). Motivational Interviewing in Dentistry: Helping People Become Healthier

11. O Open Questions
A Affirmations
R Reflections
S Summarization