AACN Roadmap for Implementing Change
Change is a fact of life, and that can be a good thing. Taking something we’ve learned – such as new evidence-based care practices – and
introducing it within our workplace to enhance patient care and improve outcomes is a change for the better. However, change is often a
difficult process. AACN Roadmap for Implementing Change is a tool intended to assist you in sharing and implementing new learning and
practices within your unit and hospital. This Roadmap serves as guide to assessing your unit’s level of readiness for change and identifying
strategies for implementation. It is best used once you and your team have determined a specific practice or area to change.
Action Steps
Supporting Resources
Key Stakeholders
Unit and Staff Assessment
Assess your unit’s structure and readiness to
support change
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Change Readiness Assessment
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Assess current knowledge of problem, practice
or procedure
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Unit Gap Analysis
Survey Monkey survey
Informal discussion
PI data
Discuss at journal club
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Unit leadership (may include managers,
charge nurses, council chairs, CNS,
educator, etc.)
Staff nurses
Multidisciplinary team members (as
determined by the change initiative)
Nursing staff
Nurse Manager
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Nurse Practitioners
Quality improvement teams
Physicians
Other members of multidisciplinary team
(as determined by the change initiative)
Action Steps
Evaluate results of assessments
Supporting Resources
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Discuss at unit council meeting
Discuss with unit leadership (manager,
CNS, physician director)
Engage PI/Quality department
Key Stakeholders
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Nursing staff
Nurse Manager
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Nurse Practitioners
Quality improvement teams
Physicians
Other members of multidisciplinary team
(as determined by the change initiative)
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Unit staff nurses
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Nurse Educator
Physicians
Determine Change Strategies
Readiness Level: Low
 Raise awareness, advocacy
AACN Roadmap for Implementing Change
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Information sharing
Email blast
Posting flyers
Materials to hospital or unit journal club
Huddle
Newsletter write- up
Tell a peer
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Action Steps
Supporting Resources
Key Stakeholders
Readiness Level: Medium
 Education
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All “Low” level resources
PowerPoint
Lunch & Learn
Staff meeting
Poster presentation
Competency Day
Compliance audit
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Nurse Educator
Advanced Practice Nurses
Nurse Manager
Unit staff nurses
Physicians
Readiness Level: High
 Implement change initiative
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All “Low” and “Medium” level resources
Form/participate on a committee
Evidence-based project initiation
Identify a leadership champion
Inter-professional task force
Roll-out plan
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Nurse Educator
Advanced Practice Nurses
Nurse Manager
Unit staff nurses
Physicians
Multidisciplinary team leaders
Measure Success
Evaluate efforts: Awareness/advocacy level
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Monitor dialogue
Discuss at future staff meeting or huddle
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Quality improvement team
Staff nurses
Evaluate efforts: Education level
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Knowledge checks
Competency validation
Assess use of audit tools
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Quality improvement team
Nurse Manager
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Educator
AACN Roadmap for Implementing Change
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Action Steps
Evaluate efforts: Implementing change level
Evaluate efforts: Sustained change over time
Supporting Resources
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Key Stakeholders
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Compliance audits
Quality indicators (such as patient
outcomes)
Satisfaction: staff, patient, team
Length of stay
Cost
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Quality improvement team
Nurse Manager
CNS
Educator
Unit quality team
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Monitor outcomes regularly
Report outcomes to unit leadership
Continually audit for compliance
Re-educate as needed
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Quality improvement team
Nurse Manager
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Educator
Unit quality team
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Quality improvement team
Nurse Manager
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Educator
Unit quality team
Disseminate Findings
Share learning
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AACN Roadmap for Implementing Change
Discuss at organizational critical care
team meetings
Share with other units and/or
organizational practice councils
Hospital newsletter
Poster presentation or educational
session at local or national professional
meetings
Submit for publication
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Action Steps
Supporting Resources
Key Stakeholders
Celebrate Success
Determine meaningful recognition
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Tell AACN your story
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AACN Roadmap for Implementing Change
Scale the recognition for the level of
success
Evaluate recognition mechanisms
Involve staff in selecting recognition
methods
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Quality improvement team
Nurse Manager
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Educator
Unit quality team
Submit a poster or abstract for
presentation at NTI
Send an email to practice@aacn.org
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Nursing staff
Quality improvement team
Nurse Manager
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Educator
Unit quality team
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