(1230) Impact of Teach-Back Method on Improving ICU Patient Experience

Introduction: ICU admission can be overwhelming for patients/families. Communication gaps can lead to inaccurate prognosis expectation, difficult data recollection and negative feedback from patients. Effective communication from providers is one way to make this less daunting. Regardless of health literacy level, staff must ensure that patients/family understand the information given. The teach-back method (TBM) is a way of checking understanding by asking them to state in their own words what they gleaned from the information conveyed. Most studies on TBM have been in non-ICU settings. This study attempts to determine TBM impact in the ICU

Methods: Prospective, non-randomized, non-blinded study was performed for ICU admits from 01/12/2022-10/31/2022. Goals: 1. Conversation between provider and patient/decision-maker with TBM for at least 60 % of cases. 2. Dialogue in their preferred primary language. 3. Number of attempts per session to demonstrate understanding was noted. 4. Affirming patient/family ability to re-explain information to provider. 5. Comparing satisfaction scores during study period with similar period the year prior. Responses were entered into a data base and analyzed

Results: Total of 443 ICU admits between 01/12/2021-10/31/2022. TBM was used in 316 cases (71.33%). Dialogue was in primary language 95.1% of the time. Multiple attempts were required 47.1% of the time per session before understanding was demonstrated. Affirmation that patient/family was able to re-explain information was achieved in 92.5% of cases. On comparing patient satisfaction survey scores of similar time periods i.e. Jan-Oct 2021 and Jan-Oct 2022: ICU information delivery score improved from 83.9 to 86.8, overall ICU satisfaction rating score improved from 86.8 to 87.4. Our ICU percentile rank on Press Ganey database for information delivery and overall satisfaction scores increased from 25.2 to 35 and from 5.2 to 14.3 respectively

Conclusions: It is important to tune information delivery in resonance with patients/family health literacy. TBM is recommended by the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality and Institute for Healthcare Improvement as it helps verify recipients understanding of health information. These results show improved patient satisfaction scores is a potential added bonus to this strategy