Providers and staff are likely to respond favorably to the same strategies used to reach out to leaders. The Implementation Team can apply similar approaches, like presenting information on national priorities around SGM health care and disparities and initial plans to encourage the use of the innovations. Presentations should fit within the workday routines of providers and staff. For example, they can be short and take place at regular staff meetings, Grand Rounds, or curbside consultations. The team can also organize panel discussions featuring community partners or SGM patients who can underscore the point that quality improvement at the clinic necessitates focusing on all patients, including SGM people (see Chapter 3).
Another great way to get staff ready for change is to offer professional development in the new policies or practices, such as training in collecting SO/GI data. The provision of Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits, Continuing Education Units (CEUs), and Certificates of Completion to staff will also incentivize their participation. These opportunities can take as little as 15 minutes to implement yet are invaluable for raising awareness, increasing preparedness, enhancing knowledge, and growing confidence in applying the innovations. The main job of change champions is to get their colleagues to support the innovation and its implementation. Thus, they might be the first ones in line to sign up for professional development opportunities on SGM health care, which may encourage others who otherwise feel reluctant to do so to follow suit. They can also talk up and role-model elements of the innovation to others (e.g., using gender-inclusive language when meeting new patients, avoiding hetero- and cis-normative assumptions when discussing patients in the precepting room).