Scripting... Any Positive Experiences to Share?

[Music in My Heart]

Apparently the plan is in the works to begin scripting at our facility and in our department.

I'm trying to keep an open mind and I've actually tried it out on my own a couple of times but it seems... forced and insincere... and saps one of my personal strengths which is human interaction... and I'm skeptical that it will really result in any meaningful improvement in scores.

Does anybody have any positive experiences or anecdotes... or especially hard data... to share pertaining to scripting?

[klone, MSN, RN]

We utilize AIDET scripting. I have found that the patients react positively to it, and after using it for many months, it's just part of my thing. I've been told by the clerks who hear me use it that it sounds very natural and friendly. I basically just say "Thank you for coming in to the clinic today! My name is Kerry and I'm the nurse. I'll be doing the majority of this appointment, which will take about 45 minutes."

The providers are supposed to use scripting when the enter the patient room, something to the effect of "Thanks for coming in! I reviewed your chart. I know that you had been trying to lose weight; how is that going?" (or insert appropriate anecdote). Whether they actually do, I don't know. But I know that there is research behind scripting to improve patient satisfaction ratings.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

There has been some scripting re hourly rounds "is there anything I can do, I have the time" but it's not enforced. They are actually pretty good lately because while they make suggestions re scripting and upselling ie how to improve patient's trust by complimenting coworkers and next nurse coming on, we are not forced to say something. I'm ok with this because there is nothing wrong with being aware of how to make a good impression and trust with patient's as long as it is true! Surely there is something nice you can say about the next nurse taking over that is true and will decrease any fear/anxiety in the patient. They at least respect us enough to not order us to script, other than hourly rounding. Of course I don't lie, but I do check does the patient need anything before I leave. If I don't have the time I will ask the CNA to help, we are lucky we still have CNA's as alot of places have cut CNA's on the night shift! Actually we have a good group of coworkers with good morale and teamwork so this is not hard!

But I personally blame this Press Ganey crap for all the scripting. If they stopped using "customer service" like we were a hotel and used quality measures for payment, nurses wouldn't be treated like stepford nurses. There is so much pressure to get good press ganey scores, and I personally feel that people are impossible to please, and it is exactly the unhappy ones that will have the energy to respond to the surveys. While many are wonderful, there will always be the difficult to please ones that spoil the surveys. Also some patients will say everyone was great, but one person or everything was great but this one thing happened and they will brood about it, making it impossible to please them! We are really being put in an impossible situation with the press ganey scores and now being used on our eval to make it even more difficult to great a raise. It sucks!

I don't know why the hospitals don't get a backbone and fight this and remind the govt they are not a hotel and it should be more about quality, not customer service. Usually hospitals aren't shy when lobbying for what is in their best interests, look at how they fight patient ratio's and outlawing mandatory overtime!

[Emergent, RN]

The Aidet technique was taught at my hospital. It's a good, general guideline to follow. People do need training in better people skills. That's okay, as long as your hospital isn't forcing some stupid, one size fits all script.

I actually forget what the acronym stands for, but basically, it's good to tell the patients who you are, what to expect, what the timeline might be. It's good to drop by and check in on them, and not just wait for call lights.

That's what I would want as a patient. The Golden Rule, basically.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

The hospital where I am currently employed has been scripting for years to positively impact Press Ganey patient satisfaction scores. Floor nurses even have copies of the most common scripts on the backs of their badges.

Guess what? Patient satisfaction scores are chronically low. Insulting our patients' intelligence levels with parroted scripts DOES NOT WORK.

[AOx1]

The general concepts of AIDET are fine. Don't we all want to be acknowledged, know who is caring for us, what will happen, etc? My complaint is when instead of letting each nurse apply this in an individual manner, they prescribe exact wording like "I have the time!" No, I don't normally have time, because we are chronically overworked. It seems as if the hospital wants nursing to change without doing their part. It seems very Stepford Wives to me.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

It seems as if the hospital wants nursing to change without doing their part. It seems very Stepford Wives to me.

I think you hit it right on the head: the hospital wants NURSING to change, but without doing their part to support nursing or change.

The customer service mentality in nursing is relatively new, probably here to stay and is doing more harm than good. Customer service dictates that you prioritize making the "sqeaky wheels" happy -- something that may or may not actually be possible -- over assessing that the non-squeaky wheel isn't making any noise because he isn't breathing. Well put HIM at the bottom of my priority list; he obviously isn't going to be filling out any negative P-G surveys!

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

I think you hit it right on the head: the hospital wants NURSING to change, but without doing their part to support nursing or change.

The customer service mentality in nursing is relatively new, probably here to stay and is doing more harm than good. Customer service dictates that you prioritize making the "sqeaky wheels" happy -- something that may or may not actually be possible -- over assessing that the non-squeaky wheel isn't making any noise because he isn't breathing. Well put HIM at the bottom of my priority list; he obviously isn't going to be filling out any negative P-G surveys!

I called a rapid response on my patient, and I was in the room for about 30 minutes. During that time a scheduled pain med was due on a chronic pain patient. The pain patient complained that his med was late, and the unit manager talked to me about it. I explained where I was, and she said I should have asked someone to medicate my pain patient. This particular unit's morale is at an all-time low because the NM never, ever backs up her nurses. The patients run the show, no matter their complaint.