Teach-back: A guide for staff

Teach-back is a check of your success in communicating information to patients/family members. It involves asking patients to explain back information in their own words.

Teach-back is an evidence-based health literacy intervention. It promotes patient engagement, patient safety, adherence and quality. (AHRQ Teach-Back Implementation Quick Start Guide)

Use this guide to learn more about teach-back and how to use it effectively with patients.

• Teach-back method – example of teaching on using an inhaler (2:31)

• Teach back videos from teachback.org - a series of short videos demonstrating why teach-back is important and how to do it effectively within different clinical situations (1-3 minutes each).

​* Note:  You may need use Internet Explorer to access

•  How can the teach-back method improve outcomes  (1:52)
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement – short video with physician demonstrating how he uses teach-back instead of summarizing for the patient 

• Teach-back online module 

  • A 30-45 minute online module from teachback.org with video examples.

​* ​Note:  You may need to use Internet Explorer to access

• Always use teach-back interactive learning module
• ​A 45 minute module that includes several videos with examples of how to use teach-back effectively in various situations. Part of Always Use Teach-Back toolkit, supported by American Medical Association and the Picker Institute.

• Teach-back poster

• Always Use Teach-back toolkit 

• Teachback.org

• Teach-Back Implementation Quick Start Guide (AHRQ) 

• AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit

Anderson JL, Dodman S, Kopelman M, et al. Patient information recall in a rheumatology clinic. Rheumatology 1979 18(1):18-22.

Dinh H, Bonner A, Clark R, et al. 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 System Rev Implement Rep 2016;14(1):210-47. http://dx.doi.org/10.11124/jbisrir-2016-2296. Accessed September 15, 2016.

Kessels R. Patients’ memory for medical information. J R Soc 2003:96:219-222.

Schillinger D, Piette J, Grumbach K, et al. Closing the loop: physician communication with diabetic patients who have low health literacy. Arch Intern Med. 2003;163(1):83-90. Available at: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/163/1/83. Accessed: June 29, 2012.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.(2010). National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy. Washington, DC. Available at: http://www.health.gov/communication/hlactionplan/pdf/Health_Literacy_Action_Plan.pdf. Accessed: November 29, 2016.

Zolnierek KB, DiMatteo MR. Physician communication and patient adherence to treatment: a meta-analysis. Med Care 2009 Aug;47(8):826.

To arrange a workshop or presentation on teach-back at Unity Health Toronto, please contact the Patient and Family Education Program at patienteducation@smh.ca