Communicating the Why Behind Change

Communications about health IT changes are rarely viewed from a single perspective. The same update may be understood as a workflow adjustment, a documentation change, a reporting input, or part of a broader operational priority. That is one reason direct, efficient communication, while necessary, does not always go far enough on its own.

Most change communication is written to be clear and concise. It usually explains what is changing, a brief reason for the update, what people need to do differently, and when the change takes effect. In busy environments, that approach makes sense. It respects people's time and keeps expectations clear. At the same time, it can leave the message closely tied to the task itself, without necessarily showing how the change connects to other parts of the patient's care.

Storytelling may be a useful alternate approach. The sequence and framing of information can help readers understand the change from another perspective. By following the patient's care journey and connecting the activities of different teams, the message can help explain why a change matters beyond the immediate workflow or system functionality.

When the message is straight to the point

Consider a change introducing a new single page summary for patients transferring to long-term care facilities. The summary brings together information relevant to the ambulance crew, including mobility and transfer assistance needs, oxygen requirements, and relevant precautions. Before the patient leaves, nursing staff will review the generated summary in the EHR, confirm the information is current, and provide a printed copy to the transport team as part of the handoff.

A direct communication about the change might read like this:

Starting June 15, a new Patient Transport Summary will be used to standardize the information provided to non-emergency ambulance personnel for patients discharged to long-term care facilities. Nursing staff will be required to generate and review the summary prior to transfer and provide a copy to the ambulance crew during handoff.

There is nothing wrong with that message. It is clear, efficient, and appropriate. It explains the update, identifies the action, gives the timing, and includes a reason.

The limitation is more subtle. When the message stays organized around the task, readers may focus primarily on what they need to do differently. For nursing staff, the change could come across as yet another document to prepare before a discharge. For other teams, it may register as a new EHR report or an additional step being added to the transfer process. While those interpretations are reasonable, they do not necessarily convey how the information supports the ambulance crew as they assume responsibility for the patient.

Framing the change as a story

Now consider the same change communicated from a different perspective:

Starting June 15, a new Patient Transport Summary will be used for patients transferring to long-term care facilities by non-emergency ambulance. Nursing staff will generate and review the summary before providing a copy to the ambulance crew during handoff. The crew can then refer to this information to support the patient's care during transport.

Both messages communicate the same change, including the new functionality, the nursing responsibilities, and when it takes effect. The difference is how the information is presented.

Rather than focusing on the EHR functionality and the associated task, this version follows the workflow from preparing the summary through handoff to its use during transport. The sequence helps connect the nursing activities to the broader purpose of supporting continuity of care as the patient moves between care settings.

Connecting the change to the care journey

Storytelling in change communication does not require a detailed patient scenario or lengthy explanation. It can be a simple as organizing the information to reflect how care progresses and where the change fits within that process.

A story-framed message can help readers understand:

👩🏽‍🦽‍➡️Where the patient is in their care journey

🧭 What is changing within the workflow

🫱🏼‍🫲🏾 How the activities of different teams connect

🔍 How the change supports patient care

This approach can be particularly useful when a change affects one group of users but supports the work of others. Following the workflow beyond the immediate task can help make those connections visible and provide a shared understanding of the change across different roles.

Direct communication remains important, and not every change needs to be presented as a story. However, when the purpose of a change extends beyond the immediate task, following the patient's care journey offers another way to connect the work being done with the broader care process, without making the communication longer or more complicated.