Motivation to change and readiness for counseling in prescription-drug-dependent patients in a general hospital population

At the present time, only a small minority of prescription-drug-dependent patients is provided with adequate treatment. The purpose of this article is to investigate the motivation to change and the readiness to accept consultation in prescription-drug-dependent patients. Among 952 general hospital patients, aged 18 to 64 years, 45 individuals dependent on prescription drugs were identified, using a screening questionnaire and a structured psychiatric interview as diagnostic instruments. The stage of change was examined following the stage concept of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM). According to the TTM 55.5% (n = 25) of the study population were in the precontemplation stage, 37.8% (n = 17) were on the contemplation stage and 6.7% (n = 3) had reached the level of preparation. For analyzing variables that might influence motivation to change, contemplators and preparators were merged into one group. The self-efficacy to change current drug consumption was significantly higher in patients with elevated motivation to change (p = 0.001). Overall, receiving counseling was rated positive by the sample. The majority of the prescription-drug-dependent patients were in a low stage of motivation to give up their drug consumption, but highly motivated to receive counseling making the general hospital a suitable setting to start early interventions.