Help Patients stay on track with Teach Back

Despite an abundance of messaging from health professionals, media, internet and other sources, many patients still have difficulty with seemingly routine tasks. Things like taking their medications correctly, following discharge instructions and navigating the hospital corridors can be a challenge. Health care is becoming increasingly complex and even the most educated person can be overwhelmed by medical terms, directions and forms. The paradox is that people are inundated with knowledge that they may be unable to use. So it is important to appreciate that health literacy is a state not a trait…it can be dynamic and change depending on the situation and context.

Poor health literacy is a stronger predictor of a person’s health than age, income, employment status, education level and race. Teach back is a simple and effective technique we can use to make sure our patients understand and improve health outcomes. So what are you doing to help your patients stay on track?

October is Health Literacy Awareness month so why not join us by using these Teach Back cards to not only remind us but to help our patients understand too!