Teach Back

The teach back method is a useful way to confirm that the information you provide is being understood by getting people to ‘teach back’ what has been discussed and what instruction has been given. This is more than saying ‘do you understand?’ and is more a check of how you have explained things than the patient/client understanding.

A similar tool can be used when showing people how to carry out actions, such as where/how to apply a cream or where to give a needle. This is called ‘show me’.

To hear more about using the teach back method to promote health literacy please watch this video of Graham Kramer, Clinical lead for Health Literacy with the Scottish Government.

Person-centred tools and approaches: Teach-back