The Project

This module was developed as a collaboration between the Community Partnerships Unit, Directorate of Planning, Population Health and Equity, South East Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD) and the Health Systems Improvement Unit, Deakin University.

While teach-back is not a new concept it is often not routinely used across health services. The aim of this project is to clearly demonstrate the value of teach-back and to provide a greater understanding of how to use it in your practice.

This module has been piloted tested with health professionals to inform its usability and accessibility.

Contributing Authors

Dr Alison Beauchamp
Associate Professor, Monash University School of Rural Health, Victoria, Australia

Dr Julieanne Hilbers
Health Consultant engaged by South East Sydney Local Health District

Project Coordination
Project Coordinator:
Dr Julieanne Hilbers, Health Consultant, engaged by South Eastern Sydney Local Health District

Project Oversight:
Amanda Justice, Community Partnerships Manager, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District

Executive Sponsors:
Julie Dixon, Director, Planning Population Health and Equity, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District
Richard Osborne, Professor and Chair in Public Health
Director, Health Systems Improvement Unit a WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Literacy, Deakin University, Australia.

Module Production
Inky Smudge

Acknowledgements

We would particularly like to acknowledge the following people for their contribution:

The clinicians and consumers who co-designed the teach-back videos with the project team
Members of the SESLHD teach-back working group (consumers, clinicians, health managers, health educators and the website developer). The working group met four times to inform the development of this module
The health literacy experts and the health workers who pilot tested the module for usability and content (rounds 1 & 2)
The South East Sydney Multicultural Health Service for funding the infographic on the use of interpreters with teach-back
Louise Sparkes (Bass Coast Health), and Janette Byrnes and Michelle Wilson (Barwon Health) for their support with the initial teach-back teaching package used to inform this module
Mr Roy Batterham for his conceptual thinking about the value of teach-back as a health literacy tool

Some content has been adapted from

Unity Point Health ‘Always use teach-back’.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Use the Teach-Back Method: Tool #5.

Citations

If citing teachback.org content in your publication or resource please use the following:

Teach-back [Internet]. Sydney, NSW: South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Deakin University and University of Melbourne; 2018. Available from: http://teachback.org/

Use this teach-back module in your organisation

Are you interested in using this module within your organisation?

Does your organisation run its own Learning Management System (LMS)?
Did you know that you can now install your own version of this Teachback module within your LMS!

(a sliding scale of fees apply)

I'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE

Course Overview

Upon completing this interactive learning module, you will be able to:

Explain the value of teach-back as a person-centred approach for improving client experiences and outcomes
Define the teach-back method and the key components for its effective use
Provide concrete examples of where you might use it in your day-to-day practice

Part 1: Sections 2 to 6 give the background and evidence for the importance of good communication, and the role of teach-back in improving client experiences, outcomes and safety.
Part 2: Sections 7 to 13 describe the steps of teach-back in detail, including techniques and resources to support its use.

Parts 2 and 3 will test your knowledge of teach-back.

How long it will take
This module will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete.

Target audience
Teach-back is a useful tool for all healthcare workers who interact with patients, clients and consumers in their everyday practice.