TranslateAssessing spoken communication - self assessment
Acknowledgement
This assessment tool is influenced by and includes content from:
- D DeWalt et al., Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit: Communication Self-Assessment, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville MD, 2014, viewed 21 July 2014, www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/quality-resources/tools/literacy-toolkit/index.html.
- R Rudd & J Anderson, The Health Literacy Environment of Hospitals and Health Centers, National Centre for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy & Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, 2006, viewed 23 July 2014, www.ncsall.net/index.html@id=1167.html.
Directions
After communicating with a consumer, rate your level of agreement with the statements in the table below. Reflect honestly on your communication.
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No. |
Question |
Disagree |
Agree |
Not relevant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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1. |
I greeted the person with a kind attitude |
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2. |
I introduced myself and explained my role |
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3. |
I maintained appropriate eye contact |
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4. |
I encouraged the person to voice their concerns using open-ended questions. E.g., "What concerns you most about this?" |
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5. |
I spoke clearly and at a moderate pace |
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6. |
I provided information using non-medical, everyday words |
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7. |
I limited discussion to five or less main points |
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8. |
I gave specific, unambiguous instructions, e.g., "Take this tablet at 8 in the morning and at 8 at night", not "Take this tablet twice a day" |
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9. |
I gave descriptions using comparisons with real things rather than concepts, abstract qualities or numerical values e.g. "Feel for a lump about the size of a pea" |
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10. |
I repeated the main points |
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11. |
I used a visual aid, such as a picture or model, to support my explanations |
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12. |
I provided written information tailored to the person's needs to back up my main points |
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13. |
I encouraged questions |
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14. |
I used open-ended questions when seeking information |
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15. |
I checked the person understood my main points, using the Teach-back method or similar |
After completing the assessment
Think about how you could improve your communication. What areas can you improve on? What strategies can you use to improve them?
Remember
Healthcare workers often underestimate:
- how much difficulty people have understood what they are told about their health, including advice and instructions
- how reluctant people are to ask questions about their health and healthcare
- how important it is for people to ask questions about their health and healthcare.
