Educating Patients: Creating Teaching Moments in Practice
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should structure their approach to patient teaching so that it is performed in the same way each time, with individualiza- tion to the patient. Planning for patient and family edu- cation is done by incorporating all the considerations discussed earlier, such as health literacy and learning styles. The topics and potential topics should be thought out before the discussion, visual aids should be found, and plans for any demonstrations should be considered (AHRQ, 2020b). If the patient is suspect- ed or known to have a lower level of lit- eracy, then factors previously discussed should be kept in mind during prepara- tions (AHRQ, 2020a). The patient may have higher health literacy, such as those who are healthcare professionals them- selves. Plain language should still be used rather than assuming those patients will comprehend all the information taught. Teach-back is a method of patient teaching that is highly recommended, as it confirms the patient has understood the information presented by telling it back in their own words and showing it through their own actions (AHRQ, 2020b). Using teach-back doesn’t test patients’ knowledge, but rather how effectively the healthcare professional presented the information to them. When planning for teach-back, healthcare professionals must determine how patients will be asked to teach back the information. It is important to remember that teach-back is used for techniques as well as concepts (AHRQ, 2020b; Maryniak, 2019). When using teach-back, it’s important to perform “chunk and check,” which means information should be presented in small sections and then verified with the patient. After providing some infor- mation to the patient, the healthcare pro-
fessional asks the patient to repeat it back in their own words. This ensures the pa- tient understands the information thus far and gives the healthcare professional an opportunity to clarify if needed and teach it back again. It is recommended that im- portant information be limited to three to five points when using the teach-back method (AHQR, 2020b). Asking patients to teach back through stating in their own words or showing how to perform a procedure may be seen as difficult. Healthcare professionals should focus on indicating they are using teach-back to meet their own needs—it is not being used to test the patient. For example, beginning the question with “I want to make sure I explained this clear- ly. Please tell me how . . .” or “I want to make sure I showed you correctly. Please show me how . . .” The teach-back should focus on a single topic rather than mul- tiple concepts (AHRQ, 2020b; Maryniak, 2019). Teach-back should be used consistently in all settings and with every patient as appropriate. Teach-back may not be ap- propriate with pediatric patients, or those with developmental or cognitive chal- lenges. Family should also be included in teach-back, particularly if they are care- givers at home (Maryniak, 2019).
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