Communicating change
It is important to communicate the change your improvement project will bring about by engaging relevant stakeholders and creating awareness through engagement activities.
A Stakeholder Engagement Plan is a way to communicate with project stakeholders (patients, carers, families and clinicians/non-clinical staff on the ward/unit, hospital executives etc) to achieve their support and keep them up to date on the project.
It specifies the frequency and type of communications and communication activities that will help build and maintain stakeholder engagement with your improvement project at all levels.
Use the Stakeholder Engagement Plan Template for your project.
Each of your stakeholder groups will have unique characteristics, needs and motivations and will require different engagement activities to communicate with them effectively. Refer to the AMS Clinician Engagement page.
Some ideas include:
- Organising and participating in Antimicrobial Awareness Week, World Sepsis Day, AMS forums and other relevant AMS events
- Utilising hospital wide communication channels, such as a newsletter, intranet, memos etc. Templates for correspondence to improve Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis are available for guidance
- Promoting discussion and shared decision making with consumers. Refer to the Information for Patients and IV to Oral Antibiotic Switch Information Parents and Carers page
- Using local nursing, medical, pharmacy, AMS, Infectious Diseases and Infection Control champions to advocate for improvement and support clinicians on the floor
- Creating a display board on the wards or face sheet handout with education, information and data about the improvement project
- Setting a standing agenda item or PowerPoint presentation at regular meetings
- Using double staffing time or staff meeting to provide short, regular updates
- Creating posters, lanyards and computer screensavers. Refer to the IV to Oral Antibiotic Switch resources page for sample posters and lanyards
- Holding a project launch, workshop or integrate engagement activities into existing local events e.g. Medication Safety forums, Grand Rounds
- Conducting a quiz, creating social media posts or sending email communications
- Distributing information to General Practitioner Visiting Medical Officers (in rural and regional areas).