Teach-back technique does not improve the recall of Active Cycle of Breathing Technique (ACBT) in a healthy student population: a randomised controlled trial.

Question: Does the use of the teach-back technique to teach ACBT to healthy students improve their ability to recall and perform ACBT? Design: Randomised, quantitative, between-groups post-test only control group study with assessor blinding. Participants: Twenty-two Queen Margaret University students with no existing or pre-existing respiratory condition. Intervention: The experimental group was taught ACBT using the teach-back technique. The control group was taught ACBT without the teach-back technique. Both groups recall and performance of ACBT was assessed two hours post-teaching. Outcome Measure: The primary outcome measure was recall and performance of ACBT assessed by a uniquely designed assessment tool at two-hour follow-up session. The secondary outcome was the duration of time to teach ACBT with or without the teach-back technique recorded during the first session. Results: The experiment groups' improvement in recall and performance of ACBT was statistically non-significant compared to the control group with a MD= 1.09 (95% CI -0.21-2.39) and medium effect size of 0.75 (95% CI -0.14-1.58). The duration of time to teach ACBT using the teach-back technique was statistically significantly longer compared to teaching ACBT without the teach-back technique with MD= 115.96s (2min 33s) (95% CI 66.35-165.57) with large effect size of 2.08 (95% CI 0.98-3.02). Conclusion: This study presents preliminary findings for the effectiveness of teach-back technique in recall and performance of ACBT. Further research needs to be undertaken to develop a reliable outcome measure and support the clinical significance for use of teach-back technique in physiotherapy practice.bsc_Phyunpub1463_ethesesunpu