Resources to Communicate COVID‑19 Health Outcomes and Vaccination Results

Communicating PDSA Cycle Results

Following the completion of the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle, different methods can be utilized to communicate the DRIVE program results. The type of communication and content to be shared depends on the audience considered (as shown below).

  • The clinical team will be eager to learn more about successes. Write up a brief summary of the quality improvement (QI) initiative and its results
    • Present a summary of the report during a lunch time meeting of the QI team and showcase successes
    • Post a summary of the effort, with photos, on a bulletin board in a common area
    • Consider making a data wall or dashboard that tracks every initiative and displays practice goals
    • Continue to prominently display regular updates of Run Charts

This kind of positive reinforcement through communication and recognition can drive greater teamwork and continued QI in the practice.

  • Patients and their caregivers can be an integral part of the QI efforts
    • Surveys that gather outcomes data can help monitor the patient experience in a practice
    • Summarize results and report them to patient advisory groups, or in the office

Acknowledging Champions

A successful DRIVE program is facilitated through the dedication and passion of Champions who truly care for their patients and want them to live healthier lives. It is important to celebrate these Champions and acknowledge their resolve for health equity, which can help push the DRIVE program forward and motivate other practice staff to participate in the future.

  • Recognize and celebrate individuals who especially contributed to success amongst the rest of the staff (eg, by awarding a plaque of recognition). These individuals should be designated as the Champions for future QI projects
  • Encourage professional staff to publish their DRIVE results by submitting abstracts to local, regional, or national professional organizations and meetings
  • Share successful PDSA plans with the Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality and Equity (SHC) or become a DRIVE coach for other clinicians nationwide by contacting us at: [email protected]

Engaging Internal Audiences

Consistently communicating specific milestones of the DRIVE program to internal audiences at select times throughout the process can help build support.

Build Awareness

  • Reach out to internal stakeholders prior to the program launch—ideally 1 to 2 weeks in advance 
  • Communicate the urgent need for the program, the overarching strategy to improve COVID-19 health outcomes, patient education, and vaccination, and the “who, what, when, where, and why” of the program implementation
  • Leverage an internal and virtual communication tool and messenger platform best suited for the stakeholder group (eg, personal emails to leadership, updates to nurse managers, talking points for program implementers to share with all staff

Report Progress

  • Plan to communicate to internal stakeholders at program kick-off as a reminder of the program’s goals and share expectations for regular stakeholder feedback on internal activities. As the initiative rolls out, involve and check-in with specific stakeholders involved in the DRIVE program at weekly or bi-weekly intervals to share information about progress and effective strategies

Acknowledge Successes

  • Close the loop with all internal stakeholders who received communications about the program launch and share data and results, weekly
  • Among the DRIVE program team, recap effective strategies and ideas for future iterations of the program. Given the urgent nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, another PDSA cycle is likely to improve quality. Thus, gathering data on best practices for future cycles is critical
  • Recognize the work of the implementation team through internal communication tools (eg, email newsletter, messenger platform, acknowledgements at virtual weekly meetings)

Engaging External Audiences

External audiences, including community groups, community gatekeepers, cultural entities, and the media, are trusted sources of information for patients. They play a critical role in helping to prime the patient population about the serious risk of severe disease and death of COVID-19 and build confidence in the need for a COVID-19 vaccine.

By sharing information through these trusted sources patients will be more receptive to practicing risk reduction techniques and getting a COVID-19 vaccination when they become eligible to receive one.

This is especially relevant in underserved communities and communities of color, where there can be mistrust of the public health and medical systems.

The DRIVE program encourages partnership with already-trusted community groups, such as churches, sororities, and fraternities, and other community influencers, such as barbers, community-based organization leaders, organizers, and activists as a conduit to deliver important health messages to their stakeholders.

→ External audience engagement can happen from the original planning stages and follow throughout the implementation of the DRIVE program.

Connecting with Community Partners

The DRIVE team is responsible for helping to identify community influencers and determining the best way to partner. From a communications standpoint, these groups and individuals can be a powerful resource and advocate for sharing health messages and materials and motivating community members to improve COVID-19 health outcomes and vaccinations. They can also help the practice team understand important issues to the community, which is a key tenant of community-based practice.

Community organizations can partner in the DRIVE program through various communication activities:

  • Having a trusted community leader speak on a videoconference or teleconference to promote risk reduction and vaccination
  • Communicating to community groups via email newsletter
  • Posting a physical flyer in areas where community members are still accessing during the pandemic (eg, public transportation, community centers, food banks)
  • Sharing information via social media
  • Phone bank calling community members with short, educational messages

In addition, community organizations can collaborate through tactical initiatives to support the DRIVE program (eg, providing assistance to underserved populations and communities of color with COVID-19 vaccine registration websites)

There are many tools and resources available through local, state, and federal public health authorities to help educate the public about the importance of controlling COVID-19 transmission and the importance of taking the vaccine.

The next section contains links to program resources, including the CDC online resource hub, as well as a variety of other resources to help the community.

Communicating with the Community

Community-based organizations and leaders can help shape a DRIVE program tremendously, as partnerships are key to the success of any clinical and/or community-level intervention. Moreover, community-based organizations can help develop and distribute culturally responsive and appropriate education materials, refer patients to additional educational services, and provide such services, as needed. As a trusted entity by their community, they can also help improve COVID-19 health outcomes and vaccine uptake. In fact, a QI project could focus on engaging a community to help improve a specific COVID-19 health outcome.

Educating members of the public can be critical in promoting public health:

  • Trusted community leaders can help promote positive health viewpoints and combat widespread, misinformation, disinformation, mistrust, myths, and fears
  • Clinicians can directly promote health messages with the community (eg, at health fairs, in presentations at churches, community-based organizations, or in the media). Additionally, clinicians can continue to work with community leaders, training them to promote public health

If you have used a DRIVE Toolkit to improve health outcomes or need additional assistance, please contact us by filling out the form below.