Teach-back

Also known as: Teach-back method

Asking the patient to repeat back, in their own words, what they have understood — a reliable check that an explanation has landed rather than just been delivered.

In explanation and consent stations, "Just so I know I’ve explained it clearly, could you tell me what you’ll do if the pain comes back?" confirms understanding and is far stronger than "Does that make sense?".

More glossary terms

ABCDE approachA systematic method for assessing and treating an acutely unwell patient — Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure — dealing with each before moving on.
AMPLE historyA focused emergency history — Allergies, Medications, Past history, Last meal, Events — taken quickly in acute situations.
ARCPThe annual assessment that decides whether a doctor in training has met the competencies to progress to the next stage.
AVPU scaleA rapid way to grade consciousness — Alert, responds to Voice, responds to Pain, Unresponsive — used in initial assessment.

Put it into practice

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