I put together a one-page SBAR + teach-back pocket card for our clinic handoffs this month, and it’s helped me advocate during med rec and discharge calls by keeping the plan and patient voice front and center. If you want the template, I can share; also open to better phrasing for the teach-back — right now I ask, ‘What will you do if your pain hits 7/10 at home?’.
I’d tweak the teach-back by ditching the number and using a quick scenario: “If your pain gets worse tonight, what’s the first thing you’ll do, what will you try next, and when would you call us or 911?” Feels less like a pop quiz and hits action plus thresholds; if you’re open, can you share the template so I can try it in our clinic?
Love the pocket card; one tweak I use is a quick “show me” teach-back: “Just so I know I explained it well, show me how you’ll take your evening meds and what you’ll do if the pain keeps you from sleeping.” I also print the clinic number and two red flags right on the card so patients can point to it at home — have you tried that, or this AHRQ phrasing: https://www.ahrq.gov/health-literacy/improve/precautions/tool2b.html?
On ours, I added a tiny if–then box the patient fills in their own words: “If pain gets worse tonight → take [med], try [non‑drug], and call [clinic number] if not better in 30 minutes,” and it’s cut down confused callbacks. Numbers still show up in notes, but I keep them off the prompt. @c_jennings76 have you tried printing the call number right on the card?
What’s worked for me on calls this month is swapping the 7/10 for a routine anchor and their words: “Tonight after dinner, what’s your first step, and what’s next if it still bothers you?” I also have them read the exact bottle label once during med rec to confirm dose/timing — pulled from AHRQ’s tips: https://www.ahrq.gov/health-literacy/improve/precautions/tool5.html.