Patients prefer the method of "tell back-collaborative inquiry" to assess understanding of medical information.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to determine which approach to assessing understanding of medical information patients most prefer and perceive to be most effective.

Methods: Two videos were shown to participants: (1) a physician explaining a medical condition and its treatment and (2) a physician inquiring about patient understanding of the medical information the patient had been given using 3 different types of inquiry: Yes-No, Tell Back-Collaborative, and Tell Back-Directive.

Results: The Tell Back-Collaborative inquiry was significantly preferred over the other 2 approaches.

Conclusions: Patients strongly prefer the Tell Back-Collaborative inquiry when assessing their understanding. We recommend that physicians ask patients to restate what they understand using their own words and that they use a patient-centered approach.