Safety Champions: An Innovative Role During an Evolving Pandemic

The emergence of COVID-19 in March 2020 presented unique circumstances in which clinical advisories and institutional policies rapidly evolved. In light of the developing pandemic, the cardiothoracic intensive care unit (CTICU) at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center adopted a nurse champion model to promote best-practice guidelines and ensure staff safety. Research from the past 2 decades supports the use of nurse champions as an evidence-based means of promoting best-practice guidelines and closing knowledge gaps at the bedside.^1–3  Studies have also shown that nurses typically prefer to seek information through interpersonal communication and often ask colleagues for information.⁴  This article describes how the safety champion role was developed and lessons learned from the implementation of this role.

Safety champions are unit leaders who have demonstrated consistent clinical excellence and competence in peer-to-peer and interprofessional team communication. In March 2020, unit leadership designated a team of 6 nurses...