2. WHAT IS HEALTH LITERACY? Basic reading skills Ability to
understand oral communication Ability to use numbers and math
skills Basic understanding of how to navigate the health system
Ability to communicate with health providers and their staff. 3.
WHY IMPROVE COMMUNICATION 40-80% of medical information patients
receive is forgotten immediately and nearly half of the retained
information is incorrect. (AHRQ 2010) 98% of medical errors are
communication- related (AMA 2007) 4. WHY IMPROVE COMMUNICATION
Nearly half of all adult Americans have difficulty understanding
and using health information due to low health literacy (IOM 2004)
5. RISKS OF LOW HEALTH LITERACY Patient risks Physical Emotional
Financial 6. RISKS OF LOW HEALTH LITERACY Provider risk
Inefficiency Financial Legal 7. HOW TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION SLOW
DOWN USE PLAIN, NON MEDICAL LANGUAGE SHOW OR DRAW PICTURES LIMIT
THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION AND REPEAT IT CREATE A SHAME FREE
ENVIRONMENT USE TEACH-BACK TECHNIQUE (AMA 2007) 8. TEACH-BACK A
research-based health literacy intervention that improves
patient-provider communication and patient health outcomes.
Transfers knowledge and skill to the patient Enhances patient
understanding and integration of health related information and
behaviors Goal is competency in management of self care 9.
TEACH-BACK PATIENT-CENTRED COMMUNICATION MECHANISM BY WHICH A
PATIENTS UNDERSTANDING CAN BE ASSESSED TEACH A CONCEPT THEN CONFIRM
THE PATIENTS UNDERSTANDING BY ASKING THEM TO EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT
BACK TO YOU ACCURATELY. 10. USING TEACH BACK Assures that you have
explained the information clearly. It is not a test of the patient.
Involves asking a patient to repeat back information shared, in
order to assess additional needs and close communication gaps.
Offers the opportunity to re-explain, in a different way, and
assess again until patient understanding is confirmed. 11. ELEMENTS
OF COMPETENCY Use a caring tone of voice and attitude. Make eye
contact and use comfortable body language. Use plain language. Ask
the patient to explain back, using their own words. Use open ended
questions. Avoid asking yes/no questions. Emphasize the
responsibility to explain clearly is on you, the provider. If the
patient cannot Teach-Back correctly, explain again and recheck. Use
user friendly print materials to support learning. Document the use
of and patient response to Teach-Back. 12. PLAIN LANGUAGE INSTEAD
OF o HYPERTENSION o MODIFY o RESPIRATORY o ORAL o AMBULATE o
OPTIMAL o NEGATIVE o DIET TRY SAYING HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE CHANGE
BREATHING BY MOUTH WALK GOOD BAD WHAT YOU EAT 13. ASSESSMENT OF
UNDERSTANDING I want to be sure I did a good job explaining
everything clearly. Can you explain it back to me so I can be sure
that I did? What will you tell your wife about the changes that we
made in your medications today? Weve gone over a lot of
information. In your own words, please review with me what we
talked about 14. ASSESSMENT OF UNDERSTANDING The Teach-back Method:
Teach-back is a way for practitioners to confirm that what they
explain to the patient was clear and understood. Patient
understanding is confirmed when the patient explains it back to the
practitioner or does a return demonstration (instead of just
saying, Yes, I understand.) 15. BE SURE TO Check of understanding
for each important concept before moving on to the next CHUNK and
CHECK. Re-phrase rather than repeat information the patient does
not understand. Continue the use of Teach-Back until youre
comfortable the patient understands. Include information on how to
integrate new skills into lifestyle. 16.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vo9Q_EfBX8
