Relationship between Teach-back and patient-centered communication in primary care pediatric encounters.

The study was done in one low-income pediatric practice and analyzed 44 encounters, so it may not apply elsewhere. The sample was 98% African-American and 93% Medicaid insured, so results may not generalize to more diverse populations. Clinician training did not significantly increase teach-back use, so the paper does not show that training changes practice. Teach-back was measured with a new Loop Score with only moderate agreement between raters. The patient-centered communication score excluded medical information, so it may not capture all discussions of treatment risks and choices. Parents and clinicians knew visits were audio-recorded, which could have changed how they behaved. Focus groups included 12 parents and four clinicians, and group discussion may have made answers more socially desirable. The sample size may have been too small to detect communication differences by parent health literacy.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The paper does not report a funding source.

Do not conclude that teach-back makes visits better overall. It was linked to more patient-centered dialogue but also to more negative affect, and training did not significantly increase its use.