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Table 2 Overview of training materials and activities developed for the 2-h Teach-Back training session

From: Enhancing communication skills for telehealth: development and implementation of a Teach-Back intervention for a national maternal and child health helpline in Australia

Module 1 - Introduction to Teach-Back:

Overview of evidence supporting Teach-Back, why asking “do you understand?” is ineffective to check understanding, emphasis on provider to explain properly, when to use Teach-Back, example phrases, and how to manage when someone cannot Teach-Back.

Module 2 – Teach-Back in practice:

Why use Teach-Back over the phone (includes video described below), indications of caller engagement and understanding, role play activities, reflections on role play, strategies for mastering Teach-Back.

Video:

(< 2 min) developed to illustrate Teach-Back in practice, with an articulate caller in a comfortable home being distracted by a young child. This was to highlight the importance of a universal precautions approach, because nurses cannot see what is going on behind the scenes or whether the caller is fully engaged, and ability to absorb information can be situational.

Handouts:

Paper handouts were kept to a minimum for practical reasons. Nurses received 2 double-sided pages: one (blue) with a list of Teach-Back strategies and examples of what is Teach-Back and what is not; the other (orange) with suggestions for when to use Teach-Back and what to do when the caller cannot teach back.

Role play:

Nurses had their backs to each other during the role play to simulate the telephone environment. One person was the “caller”, and used a familiar scenario. The other person was the “nurse” and used the Teach-Back method to confirm understanding. Following the role-plays nurses discussed the experiences as a group. Group 1 had a single role-play session. Group 2 had two role-plays, and participants chose different partners for the different role plays.