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Teach-Back: How To Improve Your Patients' Understanding Of Their Care

Date: 11/21/17

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reports that as much as 80 percent of the medical information patients receive during their office appointments is forgotten immediately, and nearly half of the information retained is not correct. For healthcare providers committed to improving outcomes and achieving high quality ratings, it’s imperative that patients understand your directions. That’s where the Teach-Back Method can help.

What is the Teach-Back Method?

The Teach-Back Method allows you to ensure that your patients understand and remember everything you’ve told them by asking them to repeat that information in their own words. When patients can explain what they need to know or do about their health in their own words, you know that they have retained that information, and they are more likely to follow your directions.

What are the best practices in the Teach-Back Method?

There are several tips that will help you successfully use the Teach-Back Method with your patients:

  • Use plain, simple, and clear language.
  • Share information in small amounts and ask the patient to repeat what you’ve said each time.
  • If the patient doesn’t understand something you’ve said, use a different approach to explain it.
  • Use handouts or write down the information you’ve given the patient, and point out information you want to reinforce with the patient.
  • Encourage your patient to ask questions.

Isn’t the Teach-Back Method only for Patients with Low Health Literacy?

Regardless of a patient’s health literacy level, it’s important to make sure the patient clearly understands the information you’ve provided. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion reports that only 12 percent of U.S. adults have proficient health literacy. Remember, even people with strong literacy skills can still have limited health literacy when they:

  • Aren’t familiar with medical terms.
  • Have to interpret data to make a care decision.
  • Are diagnosed with a serious illness and are scared.
  • Have complex conditions that require complicated self-care.

Who in my practice should use the Teach-Back Method?

Anyone in your practice who interacts with your patients about their health or care plan should use the Teach-Back Method. This includes providers, nurses, and even administrative staff. For example, the staff member who schedules appointments for you should ask the patient to repeat the date and time of the scheduled appointment and any directions that the patient should remember, such as to bring all current medications to the visit.

What are the benefits of using the Teach-Back Method with my patients?

There are many benefits to using the Teach-Back Method:

  • Improved patient understanding and adherence.
  • Decreased call backs and cancelled appointments.
  • Improved patient satisfaction.
  • Improved patient outcomes.

Want to learn more?

Check out these free resources for healthcare providers: