Here are four guidelines to maximize the effectiveness of patient teach-back sessions.
1. Encourage the family to be present. Family members are important resources in treatment and recovery. When family members are present, there are more people asking questions and hearing the information, which allows them to be better equipped as at-home care providers.
2. Include hands-on interaction. Having patients demonstrate how to do something is more effective than just describing how to do it. For example, ask a patient to demonstrate how to locate certain information on a medicine bottle to ensure he or she knows exactly how to do it.
3. Determine what the patient already knows. Assessing a patient’s foundational knowledge ensures time in teach-back sessions is spent discussing new, useful information. Patients might tune-out information if they already know it, so asking what the patient already knows will identify what topics need discussion.
4. Schedule sessions in advance. Setting a date and time for a teach-back session may help the patient be prepared and more alert. Additionally, it allows for a family member to plan on being present.
More Articles on Patient Teach-Back:
Patient Teach-Backs May Help Reduce Readmissions
ACC’s “Hospital to Home” Initiative Reduces Readmissions, But Slowly
Patient Safety Tool: Clinical Teach-Back Cards
