"Enhancing Patient Understanding and Engagement Through the Ask Me 3 Te" by Ria Thomas

Date of Conferral

1-27-2025

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Sue Subocz

Abstract

Effective nursing communication considers health literacy, which is the patient’s ability to understand and make health decisions based on the information given. Effective staff education is critical in how well the staff can educate patients. Nurses must help ensure that patients and their families understand and can apply health care information. In an adult psychiatric unit, there was low compliance for patients following up with the community resources to which they were referred. This staff education project aimed to teach the Ask Me 3 teach-back method to increase staff knowledge and improve how they teach and engage patients in understanding their care plan after hospitalization. The Ask Me 3 program requires staff to prompt patients to ask three critical questions during their health care visits to ensure they understand their health conditions and treatment plans. The teach-back method involves health care staff asking patients to repeat the information in their own words to confirm understanding. Twenty-eight adult psychiatric nurses participated in the staff education and completed both a pre- and post-education survey. The participants’ average presurvey score was 64%, and the average postsurvey score was 93%. Overall, the practice-focused question was answered because the project improved nurses’ knowledge about a new communication technique for providing and validating patient education. The project’s positive social change impact was that after the education, staff reported increased confidence in communicating effectively with patients, leading to more meaningful interactions. Patients will benefit from more effective communication, which will positively impact their care and outcomes.

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