Patient Education Miscommunications: Part IV

The Best Tools to Improve Patient Memory Are Almost Never Used in Practice:

Researchers have identified several simple, effective communication techniques that are hypothesized to improve a patient's ability to remember information. Studies have tracked how often these proven methods are actually used during visits and found they were, unfortunately, exceptionally rare.

Effective Techniques are:

• Agenda Setting: outlining topics at the start of the visit

• "Teach Back": asking the patient to repeat information in their own words

• "Wrap-Up": summarizing key decisions at the end of the visit

These tools, which directly address the problems of verbal dominance and information overload, are the most effective solutions for ensuring patient understanding, yet they are largely not being used. There are many reasons they aren’t being used such as timing of client visits, which are largely insurance driven for reimbursement, which don’t allow adequate time for conversations and questions, a lack of staff to support/availability for “teach back” and re-educating as needed, and an inability to look ahead and plan agendas for each visit. Providers are overwhelmed and overworked, but clients are left needing more support, more education, and more time to have their needs met and to eliminate miscommunications.