Patients Prefer the Method of "Tell Back- Collaborative Inquiry" to Assess Understanding of Medical Information

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to determine which approach to assessing understanding of medical information patients most prefer and perceive to be most effective. METHODS: Two videos were shown to participants: (1) a physician explaining a medical condition and its treatment and (2) a physician inquiring about patient understanding of the medical information the patient had been given using 3 different types of inquiry: Yes-No, Tell Back-Collaborative, and Tell Back-Directive. RESULTS: The Tell Back-Collaborative inquiry was significantly preferred over the other 2 approaches. CONCLUSIONS: Patients strongly prefer the Tell Back-Collaborative inquiry when assessing their understanding. We recommend that physicians ask patients to restate what they understand using their own words and that they use a patient-centered approach.