Back in the gay old '90's, I wrote frequently about a local hospital system that was suffering through the throes of "redesign". They had adopted some sort of chest-thumping, corporate blah-blah, best-practice BS, that was going to save money, garner applause and launch them fiscally solid, into the 21st century. I think it went hand-in-hand with all the excitement of Managed Care. Fade to the future:

Now, they are heralding a "communication tool", with the acronym of AIDET - Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation and Thank You.
I have since learned it is the brainchild of one, Quint Studer (www.studergroup.com), who at his own website claims, he is one of the "Top 100 Most Powerful People" identified by Modern Healthcare. Apparently, he's also famous for his "Five Pillar" approach to achieving operational excellence, goal setting and measuring progress under service, people, quality, finance, and growth.

It's all a smoking pile of feel-good, smiley-face, top-a-the-mornin'-to-ya, remember my good name on your patient satisfaction form, best hospital in town, front and back door advertising. For Nurses, who have already racked up 20+ years of loyal, back-breaking service to humanity, it all seems a little like heavy-duty glad-handing.

Therefore, I was assigned by my society to speak for all of us.

At the End of the Day

Until you've learned your AIDET
You haven't really made it,
Acknowledge their name
At the threshold door,
Introduce yourself
(Try not to bore),
Define the time
Of the things you'll do,
Explain, entertain
Educate them too,
At the end of the day
When you're on your way,
Say, thanks for the fun
Now, what about my pay?

Fibril-late;
3/10/08