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 for the project. It specifies the frequency and type of communications and communication activities that will help communicate, build and maintain stakeholder engagement with your improvement project at all levels.
Use the Stakeholder Engagement Plan – Guide and Template for your VTE Prevention improvement project.
Refer to Educating Staff and Patients for more information.
Each of your stakeholder groups will have unique characteristics, needs and motivations and will require different engagement activities to communicate with them effectively.
Some ideas include:
- Utilising hospital wide communication channels such as newsletters, the intranet etc.
- Using local nursing, medical, pharmacy and VTE stewardship champions to advocate for improvement and support clinicians on the floor
- Creating a display board on the wards or handing out educational factsheets, information and/or data about the improvement project
- Setting a standing agenda item or PowerPoint presentation at regular meetings
- Using double staffing time or staff meetings to provide short, regular updates
- Creating posters, lanyards and computer screensavers
- Holding a project launch, workshop or integrating engagement activities into existing local events e.g. medication safety forums, grand rounds.
- Awareness campaigns to coincide with World Thrombosis Day (13 October), World Patient Safety Day (17 September), Patient Safety Awareness Week (Mid-March each year)
- Conducting a quiz, creating social media posts or sending email communications
- Distributing information to general practitioners or Visiting Medical Officers (in rural and regional areas)