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Practice teach-back before the real visit

Staff talk with a simulated patient by voice or text. They get coaching after each turn and a score on an 8-item rubric. A supervisor confirms the result.

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What it does

  • Simulated patients by voice or text.
  • Coaching after every turn.
  • An 8-item rubric aligned to IHI's published teach-back elements.
  • Interpreter mode for visits that use an interpreter.
  • Loop-closure analytics across the team.

One practice, start to finish

Explain, check, re-explain, re-check

Teach-back checks how well you explained, not what the patient remembers. In practice, the simulated patient misunderstands the way real people do. Coaching after each turn names the one thing to change next.

  1. Explain. The few must-know points, in everyday words.
  2. Check. Ask them to explain it back or show you.
  3. Re-explain. Say it a different way.
  4. Re-check. Ask again, until it is clear.

New heart medicine · Voice

Illustrative · synthetic example

Showing the visit with the patient only

  1. You

    "This new pill helps your heart pump. Take one every morning, even when you feel fine. Weigh yourself each day, and call us if your weight goes up quickly."

    Explain

  2. You

    "I want to be sure I explained it well. What will you tell your wife about when to take it?"

    Check

  3. Simulated patient

    "So I take it when my chest hurts?"

  4. Coach

    Good: you asked them to explain in their own words. Next, correct the misunderstanding, then ask again.

  5. You

    "Let me say that a better way. Take it every morning with breakfast, even on good days. It's not for chest pain."

    Re-explain

  6. You

    "So I know I was clear: what will you do tomorrow morning?"

    Re-check

  7. Simulated patient

    "Take the heart pill with breakfast. Every day, even if I feel fine."

  8. Coach

    Loop closed. One thing to change next: share about three ideas at a time, then check.

The skills review

Eight things a good teach-back does

After each practice, every item is rated Yes, Partly, No or N/A. The review is aligned to IHI's published teach-back elements; IHI does not review or approve it. Scores are formative, and a supervisor confirms the result.

Skills review · patient-only practice above

Illustrative · synthetic ratings

  • Yes
  • Partly
  • No
  • N/A

Yes 6 · Partly 1 · No 0 · N/A 1 · formative

  1. Focus on the must-know pointsThe few things the person needs to act on.Yes
  2. Everyday wordsNo jargon. Words people use at home.Yes
  3. Small chunksAbout three ideas, then check.Partly
  4. Explain-back or show-meThey say it in their own words, or show you.Yes
  5. Own the clarityA check on how well I explained, not a test.Yes
  6. Open, shame-free questionsNot "Do you understand?"Yes
  7. Close the loopRe-explain differently, then re-check.Yes
  8. Adapt to the personCaregiver, interpreter, language and culture, a plain-language sheet.N/A

One thing to change next: small chunks. Share about three ideas, then check, before you add more.

Confirmed by a supervisor. The score guides coaching. It is not a credential.

Real visits vary

Adapt to the person, then close the loop as a team

Adapt to the person

  • A caregiverInclude the person who helps at home.
  • An interpreterShort turns the interpreter relays exactly.
  • Language and cultureFit the words and examples to the person.
  • A plain-language sheetSomething clear to take home.

Loop closure across the team

Illustrative

Supervisors see where practice sessions closed the loop, and which skill to build next.

Practice sessions where the loop closed, by week · synthetic data

See all ClearComm Academy practice tools

How it works

  1. Step 1: Practice

    Pick a scenario, such as a new heart medicine.

  2. Step 2: Coach

    Coaching after each turn names the one thing to change next.

  3. Step 3: Confirm

    A supervisor confirms each result.

  4. Step 4: Close the loop

    See which skills the team needs to build.

Built for healthcare, compared with general-purpose AI

  • Workforce trainingRung: L3–L4
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Not provided
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    ClearComm Academy and the Teach-Back simulator
See all 16 differences
  • Scoring against health-literacy standardsRung: L2
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Can simplify on request; no built-in N-PLAT or PEMAT scoring
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    N-PLAT and PEMAT scores, item by item
  • Spanish measured as SpanishRung: L1
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    No built-in Spanish readability measures
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    SOL, Fernández-Huerta and INFLESZ, with targets per document type
  • Meaning kept after a rewriteRung: L2
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Depends on the prompt; no automatic check
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    Meaning check and clinical integrity check on every revision
  • Your brand voice, glossary and content typesRung: L2
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Re-entered in each prompt
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    Set once in profiles; every team inherits them
  • Answers grounded in your sourcesRung: L2
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    General knowledge unless you add files
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    Your knowledge base, with citations; strict mode refuses rather than guess
  • Reviewer workflow and approvalsRung: L2
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Not provided
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    Approve, edit or skip each change; a decision record for each document
  • Version history and audit trailRung: L2
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Chat history only
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    Locked versions and an append-only audit trail you can export
  • Accessibility review with evidenceRung: L2
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Not provided
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    WCAG 2.1 AA review; a qualified reviewer decides; an attested record is kept
  • Accreditation evidenceRung: L2
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Not provided
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    Evidence organized against the requirements you track, with binders and share links
  • Testing with simulated readersRung: L3
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Not provided as a method
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    Persona testing: cloze, teach-back, action and numeracy probes, with confidence bands
  • Journeys and channel previewsRung: L4
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Not provided
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    Touchpoint matrix and channel previews for email, text, letter, web and more
  • Channel limits checkedRung: L2
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Not checked
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    Text message segments and opt-out; email subject and preview text lengths
  • Numbers flagged for checkingRung: L2
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Not flagged
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    A "Numbers to verify" card for every dose, date and dollar amount
  • Workforce trainingRung: L3–L4
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Not provided
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    ClearComm Academy and the Teach-Back simulator
  • Security and accessRung: Enable
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Varies by vendor and plan
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    HealthcareGPS is SOC 2 Type II audited and HIPAA compliant; separate tenant per organization; role-based access
  • An independent gradeRung: L2
    General-purpose AI out of the box
    Grades its own draft if you ask
    HealthLiteracyCopilot
    The scorer never grades its own revisions; what it can't score with confidence goes to a person

Who uses it

Next step

Try a ClearComm Academy modulePlan an Academy rollout for your team

HealthcareGPS is SOC 2 Type II audited and HIPAA compliant. How we protect your documents

Questions

Is this a certification?

No. Scores are formative, for practice and coaching. It is aligned to IHI's published teach-back elements. IHI does not review or approve it.

Does it work with interpreters?

Yes. Interpreter mode lets staff practice a visit that uses an interpreter.

What does the skills review check?

Eight items, each rated Yes, Partly, No or N/A: focus on the must-know points, everyday words, small chunks, explain-back or show-me, owning the clarity, open and shame-free questions, closing the loop, and adapting to the person.

Is real patient information used in practice?

No. Practice scenarios are fictional, and practice text is screened for real identifiers.