User Guide
Technical requirements
This learning module has been developed to be accessible on all modern devices from desktops through laptops, tablets and smartphones on both Apple-based devices and PC or Android devices. It utilises some modern browser display properties and therefore we recommend using the latest versions of either Firefox or Google’s Chrome browser to view the module. However, the module should work well in Internet Explorer version 10 and above as well as Safari version 11 and above.
If using a tablet it is recommended to use it in landscape orientation.
If using a smartphone it is recommended to use it in portrait orientation.
The module takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete depending on how many of the additional resources are explored at the time. The module will allow you to leave part way through and resume at a later time, and will return you to the section that you were on when you left. This will only happen however if you continue using the same computer or device.
Interactivity
There are a number of interactive elements that appear throughout this module as outlined below. Familiarising yourself with these elements will smooth your passage through the learning tool.
There are 16 sections of the module. At the end of each section an orange ‘Next section’ button will appear allowing you to move forward. In many cases this button will not appear until you have checked your understanding of the current section through an interactive quiz or other element.
At the end of section 16 you will be able to print a Certificate of Completion for your staff record.
References
Quoted statements or statistics marked in red or bracketed in red as shown below will reveal their referenced source of by rolling the mouse over these elements.
Checking your Understanding
Most sections will have an element which will check your understanding of the issues being described on that page. These sections are marked as below and involve some form of activity on your part.
Multiple-choice questions
Some of these interactive elements take the form of simple multiple-choice questions.
- Either with buttons where only one answer is required.
- Or as checkboxes where you may be asked to supply a number of correct answers.
After answering these questions feedback will be supplied below in a white box.
Audio
Sometimes you will be asked to listen and respond to audio files.
Video
Sometimes you will be asked to listen and respond to video files. You may be asked to compare two videos and determine which is a better representation of a particular behaviour or technique.
Sorting drag-and-drop
This interactive element asks you to decide if a series of statements are True or False, or whether the answer to a set of posed questions might be Yes or No, Option A or Option B etc.
The mechanism is simple. Just Click and hold the question that sits inside the dashed line (see below) and drag it down and across to the answer that you think is correct. Release the question and you will be provided with feedback on your selection. At the same time a Next button will appear underneath allowing you to move on to the next step or statement. A series of bullet markers underneath will tell you where you are up to in the series.
Online Learning Module
This learning module will provide you with information and skills to use teach-back.
Videos and other learning tools are used to show how teach-back is used in different health settings.
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 effectively using it with someone
Provide concrete examples of where you might use it in your day-to-day practice
In this module the term ‘client’ is used to refer to consumers, patients, families and carers.
– PART 1 –
This part of the module goes through the basics of teach-back.
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.
The importance of good communication in healthcare
The healthcare system places an enormous burden on people to understand and use health information services effectively.
Some examples of what people need to understand or do:
- Understand what a health service does and how it is relevant to them
- Navigate websites or complex paperwork
- Make their needs known to reception staff, clinicians and other healthcare workers
- Find out where to get reliable, good quality health information
- Understand instructions and lifestyle recommendations well enough to put them into practice
The challenge of effective communication in healthcare
Research tells us that effective communication in healthcare remains a challenge:
- Up to 80% of healthcare information is forgotten immediately.
- 50% of information recalled is incorrect.
- 78% of patients discharged from an Emergency Department did not understand the information they were given. Nearly all of these did not realise that they had not understood.
Kessels, R. 2003. Patients’ memory for medical information. JRSM. 96(5), 219-222.
Engel, K. 2009. Patient comprehension of emergency department care and instructions: are patients aware of when they do not understand? Annals of Emergency Medicine. 53(4), 454-461.e415.
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Health literacy: Taking action to improve safety and quality. Sydney: ACSQHC, 2014.
Start this section by listening to this audio.
Click the play button below and then check your understanding in the section that appears underneath.
What can you remember, what did you understand?
Tick which of the following were in the instructionsHow do we know that someone understands?
As healthcare workers, we provide the majority of health information to people.
In most cases, we think we are doing a good job.
For example, in one study 77% of healthcare workers thought they had explained the patient’s diagnosis clearly.
BUT
Only 57% of patients reported that they actually understood.
Olson, D., Windish D. 2010. Communication discrepancies between physicians and hospitalized patients. Arch Intern Med. 170(15), 1302-7.
The role of healthcare workers in communication
The way in which healthcare workers communicate health information can affect how well people manage their health.
Watch this video to hear some feedback by consumers about their experiences with healthcare workers.
Whose responsibility is it to ensure someone understands?
Healthcare workers provide information.
A client must be able to understand, remember and act on that information.
What can we do to help improve communication and understanding?
Use
We can use teach-back to help identify gaps in understanding. Teach-back involves someone expressing that information in their own words.
Teach-back puts the responsibility onto healthcare workers to make sure the information they provide is easy to understand.
Teach-back can be used at any time or in any context. Not only in clinical interactions, but also in non-clinical interactions such as making appointments, or giving directions. For example,
Explaining how to find your way around a hospital.
Showing someone how they can manage their diabetes.
Helping people know what to do when they go home from the Emergency Department.
Showing people how to modify their home to reduce the likelihood of a fall.
Why is teach-back so important?
Let’s look at an example.
“What is happening here?”
What may seem clear to one person can be misunderstood by another.
We cannot assume anything about a person’s ability to understand, particularly when they are in stressful situation or hearing things for the first time. Just because someone has a higher education or income, this doesn’t mean they will understand what you are saying.
Teach-back and health literacy
Teach-back is a good alternative to formal screening because it can quickly provide healthcare workers with information about a person’s health literacy strengths and needs.
For more information on health literacy visit the following links:
What is the evidence for the effectiveness of teach-back in improving client outcomes and safety?
Ha Dinh, T., Bonner, A., Clark, R., et al. 2016. The effectiveness of the teach‐back method on adherence and self‐management in health education for people with chronic disease: a systematic review. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports. 14(1), 210-47.
Negarandeh, R., Mahmoodi, H., Noktehdan, H., et al. 2013. Teach back and pictorial image educational strategies on knowledge about diabetes and medication/dietary adherence among low health literate persons with type 2 diabetes. Primary Care Diabetes. 7(2), 111-8.
Negarandeh, R., Mahmoodi, H., Noktehdan, H., et al. 2013. Teach back and pictorial image educational strategies on knowledge about diabetes and medication/dietary adherence among low health literate persons with type 2 diabetes. Primary Care Diabetes. 7(2), 111-8.
Paasche-Orlow, M., Bilderback, A., Chanmugam, A., et al. 2005. Tailored education may reduce health literacy disparities in asthma self-management. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 172(8), 980-986.
Schillinger, D., Piette, J., Grumbach, K., et al. 2003. Closing the loop: physician communication with diabetic persons who have low health literacy. Arch Intern Med. 163, 83–90.
Dantic, D. 2013. A critical review of the effectiveness of ‘teach-back’ technique in teaching COPD persons self-management using respiratory inhalers. Health Educ J. 73(1), 41-50.
DeWalt, D., Malone, R., Bryant, M., et al. 2006. A heart failure self-management program for persons of all literacy levels: A randomized, controlled trial. BMC Health Services Research. 6, 30.
Krumholz, H., Amatruda, J., Smith, G., et al. 2002. Randomized trial of an education and support intervention to preventreadmission of persons with heart failure. JAMA. 39(1), 83-9.
Peter, D., Robinson, P., Jordan, M., et al. 2015. Reducing readmissions using teach-back. Journal of Nursing Administration. 45(1), 35-52.
Kornburger, C., Gibson, C., Sadowski, S., et al. 2013. Using “teach-back” to promote a safe transition from hospital to home: an evidence-based approach to improving the discharge process. Journal of Pediatric Nursing. 28, 282–291.
Benefits of using teach-back in the healthcare setting
Tip!
Healthcare workers often worry that teach-back will take too much time. One way around this is to use teach-back on just two or three main points. Teach the information to the client, then repeat the key points “in a nutshell” and ask the client to explain just these points back to you.
Teach-back is about how you deliver information. Once you are familiar with using teach-back, it should take only minimal extra time than it does now to teach people because you will become more efficient about what and how you are teaching.
Testimonials about teach-back
Roll your mouse over each figure below for testimonials about the value of teach-back
Beauchamp A, Batterham R, Dodson S, Astbury B, Elsworth G, McPhee C, Jacobson J, Buchbinder R, Osborne R.
Systematic development and implementation of interventions to OPtimise Health Literacy and Access (Ophelia).
BMC Public Health (2017) 17:230
Allowed healthcare workers to focus on what the client needs to know
“I became more conscious and mindful to focus on what my clients understood and what they wanted to know.”
Alerted healthcare workers to the importance of tailoring information to the client’s strengths
“Even if the client has got literacy issues, they must have developed other skills, so we’ve got to work out how they’ve managed and adapt our teaching to that. Not our way, their way.
Because we can sit there and lecture them, but that doesn’t make them buy into it.”
Knowing they would be asked to ‘teach-back’ increased clients’ engagement
“I used teach-back with one client who has been pretty tricky to get much traction with. I think she has been actually listening more attentively because she has input into it and she knows that I will be checking in at the end. You know, what are the next steps and things. And so over the last few months or so, she is more engaged and she is taking more notice. And she is actually doing a lot better.”
Using teach-back built rapport between client and healthcare worker
“I spend a lot more time asking clients what was the main thing they understood from that and encouraging them to talk back to me. Before I was more “you’ve heard the information now go and do it”. It was reinforcing to me about my teaching; she and I both enjoyed it.”
The key question is:
What do we do when the person doesn’t understand?
For teach-back to be effective, healthcare workers need the ability to not only identify that a person has a problem with understanding, but to know strategies to overcome the problem.
We will discuss some helpful strategies later in this module.
Batterham R, Hawkins M, Collins P, Buchbinder R, Osborne R.
Health literacy: applying current concepts to improve health services and reduce health inequalities.
Public Health. 2016 Mar;132:3-12.
When can teach-back be used?
In which of the following situations would teach-back be useful?The correct answer is 'All of the above'.
– PART 2 –
The teach-back process in detail
Sections 7 to 13 describe the steps of teach-back in detail, including techniques and resources to support its use.
Simply put, the process of teach-back is:
Let’s show this in a diagram.
There are five steps in the teach-back process.
If the person doesn’t demonstrate understanding after three cycles, you will need to change your approach.
We’ll talk about some strategies for doing this later in this module.
Decide which of the following are one of the five steps in the teach-back process.
Click on each potential step and use your mouse to drag and drop it as shown here on either the ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ options.
After each selection use the ‘NEXT’ button that appears at the bottom to move ahead to the next step.
The answer is:
Is this one of the five key steps of teach-back?
The answer is:
Is this one of the five key steps of teach-back?
The answer is:
Is this one of the five key steps of teach-back?
The answer is:
Is this one of the five key steps of teach-back?
The answer is:
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- marker
- marker
- marker
- marker
- next
Before using teach-back, check ‘baseline’ understanding
Before you start using teach-back to explain something, it’s a good idea to find out your client’s ‘baseline’ understanding. You may be teaching information that they already know well, or you may be assuming that they have more ‘baseline’ knowledge than they actually do. For example, do they understand your role in their care?
What is a good way of finding out someone’s current ‘baseline’ understanding?
You can choose more than one.B is a yes/no answer and doesn’t check understanding.
D – There could be other reasons for a decline in health.
Therefore F is also incorrect.
STEP 1 | Explain
Use plain language to explain or demonstrate
KISS – Keep it Simple for Safety
Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2009. Health Literacy Australia. 4102.0 – Australian Social Trends. ABS. Accessed Dec 2017
As healthcare workers, medical terminology comes to us naturally, and it’s easy to forget that these terms are ‘difficult’ for many people. Minimise your use of medical jargon. Instead of saying benign, saying ‘not harmful’ will make better sense. Avoid acronyms, and words with multiple meanings, such as ‘dressing’ or ‘negative’. If you tell someone their x-ray was negative for example, they may think that’s a bad thing.
However, people sometimes say that they just wished all providers used the same words….so if you use a complex word that you know other providers will use, explain what it means. For example, explain hypertension so the next time they hear it, they know it means ‘high blood pressure’.
The best approach is to use simple terms and to demonstrate Keep it Simple for Safety (KISS).
Try thinking of more effective ways to communicate the ideas in the boxes below
before rolling your mouse over each for some suggestions
Instead of:
ConditionTry saying:
A medical problem, a disease, an illness
Instead of:
ChronicTry saying:
Constant, never ending, does not go away, long term, lasting a long time
Instead of:
DiagnosisTry saying:
Finding out the cause of an illness, condition, disease, medical answer
Instead of:
IntermittentTry saying:
Off and on
Instead of:
InterventionTry saying:
Care
Instead of:
FractureTry saying:
Broken bone
Instead of:
OralTry saying:
By mouth
Instead of:
AmbulateTry saying:
Walk
Instead of:
InflammationTry saying:
Sore, swelling
Instead of:
Adverse reactionTry saying:
Bad reaction
Instead of:
NegativeTry saying:
Can mean a “good” or “bad” result, depending on the context
Instead of:
DietTry saying:
What you eat
Instead of:
BenignTry saying:
Not harmful
Instead of:
HypertensionTry saying:
High blood pressure
Instead of:
IncisionTry saying:
Cut
Instead of:
MonitorTry saying:
Keep track of, keep an eye on
Instead of:
Normal RangeTry saying:
Where it should be, provide the range
Instead of:
CardiacTry saying:
Heart-related
Instead of:
ReferralTry saying:
Ask to see another doctor/health professional
Instead of:
OT - Occupational TherapistTry saying:
Someone who helps people to learn or relearn everyday activities and tasks.
Using Plain Language
Watch these two videos to answer the next question.
In which video below does the Occupational Therapist use plain language instead of technical terms?
In Video B the occupational therapist uses plain language instead of technical terms.
In Video A she use terms such as ‘subluxation’ and ‘glenohumeral joint’ which clearly confuses her patient.
Tip!
Remember when we provide information it’s important to slow down.
When we are telling someone something we know really well or we think is important, we tend to speed up.
The recommended speed for friendly, conversational language is 110 to 150 words per minute.
An example is provided below to illustrate an ‘about right’ speed to talk to people.
STEP 2 | Check understanding
Ask the person to demonstrate understanding in their own words about what they need to know or do.
Teach-back is not a test of the person but of how well you explained the topic. How you ask questions is also important. What you say, along with your tone of voice and body language, conveys whether you are working with the person or they feel like they are being tested. Don’t ask yes/no questions such as “do you understand?” because most times people just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ – even if they haven’t understood. You as the healthcare worker need to take responsibility for their understanding. A key is to be genuine, which means you will need to find your own way and words to genuinely engage with each individual.
Here are some examples of specific questions you could adapt:
Pick three ways to ask someone to repeat back in their own words:
J is also incorrect as it might make the person feel like they are being tested. The onus is on you to explain clearly. So you might say, "I need to check I have explained this clearly, can you explain back to me what you need to do when you go home?"
Using open-ended, non-shaming questions
Creating a shame-free environment where questions are encouraged is essential.
In which video does the nurse use a non-shaming, open-ended question to check understanding?
In Video A the nurse assumes the burden of communicating clearly by asking the question “To make sure I have given you the right information can you tell me what I have told you in simple words.”
In Video B the nurse does not check if understanding has taken place but looks for a simple un-tested affirmation.
STEP 3 | Clarify
Identify any misunderstandings and re-explain
Actively listen to what the person is ‘teaching-back’ to you. Have they misunderstood anything?
This is a vital step in teach-back. It is often at this point that you realise your assumptions about what someone knows or understands may be incorrect.
Everyone, regardless of education, language or age is at risk of NOT understanding.
Take time over this step, so you are really clear that someone fully understands.
If the person has not explained everything back to you correctly, you will need to provide feedback, focusing on the piece of information that is not understood. For example, you might say…
– “I don’t think I have been clear enough explaining about……”
– “What I meant when I talked about……..was that …”
– “I must not have done a good job explaining the bit about……
Let me try again.”
Tip!
Use this link for more information on how to write easy to understand resources.
How to identify your client’s learning style
Each person will have their own way they like to learn. It can be helpful to have a discussion with a client about their preferred learning style because it highlights the fact that education is occurring and that it is important to you that they understand.
How do you like to learn?
Click the image to download this pdf and tick which boxes apply to you.
There are a range of learning resources you might consider.
Here are some examples
Photos
Serving sizes
Videos
Apps
Props
Using analogies or stories can be effective
Adapt any measures into a format people can understand
Equipment demonstrations
You might draw a picture (but keep them simple – people can struggle with complex diagrams)
Write things down or ask if they would like to write things down themselves. This is a great way of making someone feel they have been given information specifically for them.
Success stories about how other people have managed to do something might also help
Be as innovative as you need to be!
Info!
The Ophelia Victoria study asked 58 older people with chronic and complex conditions about their preferred learning styles. The most popular way to learn was talking through the information with their healthcare worker, followed by handwritten information about what actions needed to be taken (written by either the client or the healthcare worker). 93% said they preferred to receive information face to face.
Tip!
Be specific. When re-explaining something, focus on what people ‘need to know/need to do’. Be concrete, not abstract. For example, say “let’s talk about what you can eat for lunch that will give you more protein”, rather than “let’s talk about high protein foods”. Ask your client to actually ‘show/tell you’ what they are going to do. Ask them to tell you the actual number of pills that make up a dose, or tell you the actual foods that they will eat.
How people learn
Watch these two videos below
Which video best demonstrates how a healthcare worker can identify someone’s learning style and use this as part of their education?
In Video A the dietitian relied on a closed ‘yes/no’ question to check Sue’s understanding of what a high protein is. She did not check understanding. She also did not identify how Sue liked to learn, but simply offered the written resource and said it was important to read. When Sue questioned the need to read all the information in the handout the dietitian did not identify this as a ‘red flag’ and that this approach may not be appropriate for her.
The correct answer is Video B. In this video the dietitian checks with Sue what resource she would like to use – the written or picture based one. She also checks understanding by asking Sue to give examples of high protein foods and how she could add them to each meal. We have included a useful handout that you can use with your patients to identify how they like to learn.
What to do if the client has explained everything back correctly in their own words
In this case, if you are comfortable that the client fully understands what they need to do, you do not need to re-explain anything. But do remember that even if someone ‘gets it’, this doesn’t necessarily mean they will remember it for next time. So rechecking next time you see them is a good idea.
One clinician in the Ophelia Victoria project said:
“the beauty of teach-back is, you don’t have to go back through the whole information. You can just say, ‘remember last time we talked about this…can you show me again?’ So you can jump straight back to where you were and get a really good picture of how much the person took on board and understands. So you can then either move forward or rewind a little bit and bring that into your consult and then move forward”.
STEP 4 | Re-assess and re-clarify
Repeat Steps 2-3 until any misunderstandings are clarified
Once you have re-explained the information, ask the person to explain back to you in their own words again. Then:
– Provide feedback
– Identify and address any misunderstandings
As with any healthcare encounter, teach-back is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach. You will need to be flexible in applying the technique. Some people will need you to use teach-back just once. Others will require a much gentler, tailored approach. For example, you may need to work out how much information you give the person in one go.
Repeat the process of re-checking and re-clarifying up to three times.
Clarify, re-check and re-clarify
Watch this video
In the video above the doctor explains to the patient what he needs to do.
He realises that the patient didn’t understand him.
Which of the following videos best demonstrates what the doctor should do next?
In Video A the doctor slows down and uses plain language to re-explain what the patient needs to do. However, he uses a closed ‘yes/no’ question to check understanding.
The correct answer is Video B as the doctor slows down and uses plain language to re-explain what the patient needs to do. He also chunks and checks the information and asks the patient to re-explain in his own words so he can be confident the patient has understood.
If you have taken learning styles into account and teach-back doesn’t seem to be working, consider the following approaches.
- Are other factors impacting on the exchange? These might include cultural expectations, health status, ability to hear, or the client’s emotional or cognitive state.
- Are you delivering your information in bite sized pieces (‘Chunking and Checking’)?
- Does another person need to do the teaching?
- Does the person really need to know all the information you are providing?
- What resources does the person already have to help them learn about and manage their health? These could include family, reliable websites, or telephone services. See the role of family members discussed below.
- Is the person from a non-English speaking background and do they need the assistance of an interpreter? See Section 13.
Sometimes teach-back just isn’t appropriate for a person. In these situations, you may need to put other supports in place depending on the circumstances.
The role of family and friends
Frampton, S., Wahl, C, Cappiello, G. 2010. Putting persons first. Partnering with persons’ families: three ways hospitals can enhance family members’ involvement in health care. American Journal of Nursing, 110(7), 53-56.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ]. 2015. Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit, 2nd Edition. AHRQ. Accessed Dec 2017.
Amalraj, S., Starkweather, C., Nguyen, C., Naeim, A. 2009. Health literacy, communication, and treatment decision-making in older cancer persons. Oncology. 23(4), 369-375.
Amalraj, S., et al., Health literacy, communication, and treatment decision-making in older cancer persons. Oncology (08909091), 2009. 23(4): p. 369-375.
Labrecque, M., Blanchard, C., Ruckdeschel, J., Blanchard, E. 1991.The impact of family presence on the physician-cancer person interaction. Social Science & Medicine. 33(11), 1253-1261.
Beisecker, A. 1989. The Influence of a Companion on the Doctor-Elderly Person Interaction. Health Communication. 1(1), 55
STEP 5 | Close the loop
Ask the person to repeat everything back in their own words
To finalise the process of teach-back, when all misunderstandings are clarified, ask the person to repeat the whole thing again in their own words. This helps people to remember everything in sequence. Ask them to tell you from the beginning again.
If they demonstrate understanding at this stage, provide positive feedback.
Schillinger, D., Piette, J., Grumbach, K., Wang, F., Wilson, C., Daher, C., Keong-Grotz, K., Castro, C., Bindman, A.B. (2003).
Closing the loop. Archives of Internal Medicine, 163, 83-90.
Two additional tools you can use to help achieve understanding are
- Chunk and Check
- Professional interpreters
- Chunk and Check
If you are teaching more than one concept, use Chunk and Check
Sometimes we try to teach too much at one time. This is because, in healthcare, we typically have to explain more than one concept. People struggle to understand long lists of things to do, and yet this is often the way information is presented in the health sector. One way of simplifying education is to deliver short key messages only, and then use teach back to check understanding…we call this ‘Chunk and Check’.
Chunk and Check is simple to use. After you have communicated one important message—a ‘chunk’ of information—check how much the person understood by using teach-back. Chunk and Check is a way of using teach-back with the tried and true method of breaking information down into small, bite-sized pieces.
Tip!
Think about what people really need or want to know. Most people only remember about three things at any one time, so focus on two or three important messages only.
Tip!
Sometimes only one message is enough, and be aware that it might take more than one session before the person fully understands even that one message.
Tip!
Often, if someone has a question from early on in a conversation, they will save their question until the end. Holding on to this question can affect their ability to understand the rest of what is being said. Use the Chunk and Check method to address that concern by stopping the conversation to insert teach-back and check understanding.
What is most important for someone to know?
Watch both these videos.
In which video does the administrative officer demonstrate ‘Chunk and Check’?
In Video B the administrative officer chunks the content up into smaller bits and checks on understanding before moving onto the next bit. In Video A the information is delivered in one single uninterrupted stream.
- Language diversity
When using teach-back with clients who speak a different first language including sign language, consider using translated visual aids and professional interpreters. Many health services can access health trained interpreters. There is also the Australian Government’s Translation and Interpreter Service (TIS) which provides access to face-to-face and telephone interpreters for a fee. The use of NAATI accredited interpreters is recommended as they are bound by a code of conduct and are required to relate information accurately and completely, and to maintain confidentiality.
Watch this video to see how to make the best use of professional interpreters.
– PART 3 –
Putting it into practice
So let’s recap the
key concepts of teach-back
Make it easy for someone to understand and participate
- Use plain language and avoid jargon
(Keep it Simple for Safety – KISS). - Slow down.
- Use open-ended questions. Avoid questions that can be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Use a structured approach for checking understanding
- Provide information in small doses and check understanding after each section (Chunk and Check).
- Emphasise that the responsibility to explain clearly is on you, the healthcare worker.
- Ask your client to explain back using their own words, or to demonstrate “what to do, how to do it”.
- If their effort to teach-back shows they have not understood, explain again and re-check their understanding.
Use a client-centred approach
- Check your client’s current understanding. Don’t assume prior knowledge.
- Find out how they like to learn. Adapt your teaching to meet their learning style.
- Used a strengths-based approach. What do they already do well to manage their health?
- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) clients may need additional support.
Use standard ‘good’ communication principles, such as:
- Introduce yourself and your role.
- Use support resources such as interpreters, diagrams and teaching aids to help with learning.
- Consider the impact of your words, body language and tone, especially when delivering sensitive information.
- Document that you have used teach-back in your client’s health records AND how you addressed any misunderstandings.
Indicate below whether each statement is a TRUE or FALSE description of teach-back.
Click on each statement and use your mouse to drag and drop it as demonstrated here on either the ‘TRUE’ or ‘FALSE’ options.
After each selection use the ‘NEXT’ button that appears at the bottom to move ahead to the next statement.
Teach-back is:
Therefore this statement is:
Therefore this statement is:
Therefore this statement is:
Therefore this statement is:
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- next
Tying it all together
We will now ask you to demonstrate what you have learned.
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Download the teach-back checklist
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Watch the video below
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What key elements of effective teach-back did you observe?
Based on the above video indicate whether each of the behaviours as they appear below are observed or not observed in the interactions of the clinicians.
Your commitment
Teach-back is an efficient and effective learning tool for any healthcare worker. Thank you for taking the time to learn the key elements that make up teach-back. We now invite you to identify how you can practice and integrate teach-back into your daily practice.
Please download this pdf and fill it in and keep for your own reference.
You have now reached the end of the teach-back online learning module.
You now have the opportunity to print out your own Certificate of Completion which you can add to your continuing professional development record.