Comprehensive Interview Phases and AIDET in Nursing
Key Points
- Comprehensive interviews follow four phases: preparatory, introductory, maintenance, and termination.
- AIDET supports consistent introductions and expectation setting.
- Open-ended and adaptive questioning improve depth and relevance of subjective data.
- Cultural, developmental, and emotional factors require interview style adjustment.
Pathophysiology
Interview quality affects assessment accuracy, diagnosis precision, and care-plan fit. Poorly structured interviews can miss high-priority cues, increase misunderstanding, and weaken therapeutic trust. Structured interviews reduce omission risk and improve decision quality.
Classification
- Preparatory phase: Environment setup, chart review, privacy, and interruption control.
- Introductory phase: Trust building, role clarification, and expectation framing.
- Maintenance phase: Active listening, data gathering, therapeutic techniques, and care-plan shaping.
- Termination phase: Progress review, transition planning, and follow-up linkage.
- AIDET framework: Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation, Thank You.
Nursing Assessment
NCLEX Focus
Prioritize techniques that increase patient disclosure while preserving safety, privacy, and dignity.
- Assess environmental readiness (privacy, noise, time pressure).
- Assess rapport and trust signals early in the interaction.
- Assess whether questions are eliciting useful narrative data.
- Assess communication barriers (language, hearing, literacy, distress, developmental mismatch).
- Assess readiness for termination and continuity needs at end of encounter.
Nursing Interventions
- Use AIDET at the start of encounters to create clarity and trust.
- Begin with open-ended questions, then narrow with adaptive follow-up.
- Use empathy, validation, and nonjudgmental language to support disclosure.
- Adjust communication for age, culture, and emotional state.
- Close with summary, teach-back where needed, and next-step confirmation.
Interview Compression Risk
Rushed, multi-question, low-eye-contact interviewing can suppress critical patient disclosures.
Pharmacology
Medication history quality depends on interview technique. Structured questioning improves reconciliation accuracy, adherence assessment, and identification of high-risk misunderstandings.
Clinical Judgment Application
Clinical Scenario
A patient gives minimal responses during intake while appearing anxious and distracted.
Recognize Cues: Limited disclosure and possible communication barrier. Analyze Cues: Current approach is not generating reliable assessment data. Prioritize Hypotheses: Rapport and interview method adjustment are immediate priorities. Generate Solutions: Re-establish introduction with AIDET and switch to open-ended adaptive questions. Take Action: Reduce distractions, use interpreter resources if needed, and continue patient-centered interview. Evaluate Outcomes: Data depth and patient engagement improve.
Related Concepts
- effective-professional-communication-and-motivational-interviewing - Professional communication and behavior-change dialogue techniques.
- communication-models-in-nursing-transmission-interactional-transactional - Model selection for dynamic clinical communication.
- health-literacy-assessment-and-plain-language-education - Clarity strategies for understanding and follow-through.
- learning-readiness-and-teachable-moments-in-patient-education - Timing and readiness principles during interview-driven education.
Self-Check
- Why does the preparatory phase influence interview validity?
- How does adaptive questioning differ from routine closed-ended questioning?
- What indicators show an interview should be modified for emotional or cultural factors?