The Teach-Back Method to Build Patient’s Health Literacy

Abstract

The Teach-Back Method is a technique used by health care providers to non-shamingly verify patient understanding of for example, their diagnosis, medications, hospital stay, and discharge instructions. Informed patients may avoid a costly readmission to the hospital. The hospital library can be a resource center for tools on how and when to use the Teach-Back Method. In addition, the librarian can teach, or co-teach, this technique to health care team members. If the hospital librarian is involved in patient education or relationship-based care, they may indeed be practicing the Teach-Back Method during the patient’s stay or when the patient is discharged. This column describes the Teach-Back technique and gives examples of its use in patient discharge. It also features a successful example of a librarian being involved in teaching the Teach-Back Method.