What Right Looks Like:
Elevating Foundational Tools and Tactics to the Next Level
by Don Dean, Studer Group senior leader, coaching division
If you’ve read Studer Group publications or worked with Studer Group, chances are good that you are already familiar with the Must Haves® tools that align behaviors to get results. But what if you could take it to the next level for even greater gains? Here’s what’s working for first movers:
AIDET Plus the PromiseSM
AIDET® is a communication framework that stands for Acknowledge—Introduce—Duration—Explanation—Thank You. The easy-to-remember acronym guides caregivers through introductions to patients and family members and ensures complete information is shared. Using it every time in patientencounters helps patients feel calm, safe, confidant, and respected so they trust their caregivers.
When patients are less anxious, they’re more likely to comply with physician instructions for better clinical outcomes. That’s why AIDET, when hardwired, can be effective in increasing both physician and patient satisfaction.
If you and your organization have been using AIDET, now is the time to take it to the next level with patients by adding The Promise to connect your heart to theirs. The Promise recognizes that our patients are frequently frightened and worried when they seek our care and confirms their caregiver is committed to taking excellent care of them. From the family’s perspective, they are comforted to know their loved one is in good hands.
It's a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
The Promise also becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy for the employee as it begins to define who the caregiver is and wants to be in their career. It connects us back to our mission and why we went into healthcare in the first place: to make a difference in the lives of people…to serve.
Add your Promise in the Introduction or Explanation part of AIDET. For example, say, “I promise to take excellent care of you today;” “I promise to stay with you the entire time;” or “We promise to keep you safe.” When employees make that promise, their word becomes a bond they want to honor.
Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin, IL is currently rolling out AIDET Plus the PromiseSM to 25 primary care physicians across the organization as they focus on improving HCAHPS physician ratings. “First, we formed a train-the-trainer team with 10 physicians who agreed to coach their peers,” explains CEO Linda Deering, RN. “In preparation, we asked them to watch Studer Group’s interactive on-line training tutorial, which really carved my vision for physician training. Each physician trainer will be assigned 2 to 5 peer physicians who also take the tutorial. Then a trainer will observe and validate.”
"I really like the different role plays in the tutorial because it allowed me to see the impact of consistency across settings and visits." - Linda Deering, RN, CEO Sherman Hospital
How to Save 78 Hours Per Year on Rounding
That’s right…that’s almost two weeks! And that’s how much one CEO saved by throwing away her paper rounding logs and streamlining with MyRounding, a software-based application.
Rounding for Outcomes is a foundational tactic that Studer Group has been coaching and hardwiring in organizations for more than a decade. It’s proven to be the most effective way to collect vital information, reward and recognize behavior, build relationships, and validate key behaviors for safety. It’s at the very heart of developing high employee engagement, which, in turn, drives better results.
Kim Bordenkircher, CEO of Henry County Hospital in Napoleon, OH has been rounding on staff most of her career. For years, she’s been capturing important information and validating her rounding through the use of a rounding log. The logs allow Kim to recall details from previous rounding sessions, relate back to any issues identified, and capture “wins.”
The MyRounding software application saves time because it allows leaders to customize rounding templates, pull instant reports, escalate identified issues, and more. “In the past, when I’d round on the weekend, I’d have to allot 1.5 hours for documenting rounding, sending emails, and so on,” explains Bordenkircher. “Now when I am done rounding, I am done!”
At CarolinaEast Medical Center in New Bern, NC, Assistant Vice President of Nursing Services Jim Davis RN, MSN uses MyRounding’s application (which can be downloaded as an “app” on mobile devices) to pull quick snapshots and trend reports from rounding by the 14 nursing managers that report to him. “One manager told me he had used the app to note a maintenance issue while rounding and it was taken care of even before he had completed rounding,” Davis notes. “No need to remember to go to your office and send an email to Maintenance. It goes directly.”
Streamline the Process
“Also, legibility is a huge issue that the rounding application solves for me,” he adds. “A manager told me he used to round on patients with a clipboard, then come back to his office and type them up in an easier to read format. The rounding app takes a lot of steps out of the process. In fact, when one nurse manager collected a compliment on the food during rounding, she was able to send instant recognition to Food Services.”
Studer Group is committed to lifelong learning and constantly evolving to meet your needs in our ever-changing industry through the sharing of best practices of our partner organizations and efficient technology solutions. Together, we turn the flywheel and make healthcare a better place for physicians to practice, employees to work, and patients to receive care.
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