Staff Education to Use the Teach-Back Method Toward Increasing Adherence to Medications in a Mental Health Clinic

A staff development project was conducted at a mental health clinic to improve medication adherence among patients. The intervention was an evidence-based presentation on the teach-back method for staff members to educate them about the importance of using the teach-back method for patient teaching to increase medication adherence among mental health patients. The gap identified by leadership was that staff members are often unaware of strategies for patient education designed to ensure that patients take their medications as prescribed by the provider. The project was conducted over a period of 4 weeks, with sessions held 3 days per week, taking staff schedules into account. The question which guided the project was as follows: For staff in a mental health clinic, will an evidence-based presentation on the teach-back method increase knowledge towards the goal of increasing adherence to medicine prescriptions? The materials used during staff teaching included a slide presentation, along with other resources such as videos and role-play practice. A 10-item pre- and post-questionnaire was developed in collaboration with leadership and used to compare scores and gauge knowledge acquisition.