The impact of teach back education to reduce prevalence of falls in low-and high-risk rehabilitation inpatients.

Abstract

‘Teach back’ methods of patient education that involve verifying patients’ understanding of healthcare instructions may assist with falls reduction in inpatient rehabilitation settings. However, whether such strategies are more effective for cognitively impaired patients at high risk of falling has not been empirically established. The teach back intervention was associated with considerable reduction in falls prevalence. Results suggested it was more effective in reducing falls among low risk and non-impaired cohorts. The assumption that reinforcing patients’ understanding of falls risk reduction through teach back would be more effective with cognitively impairment patients did not hold. Falls awareness and staff education initiatives should therefore be directed to promoting the use of teach back communication techniques with all patients admitted for rehabilitation regardless of falls risk status.