Digital Commons Network^™

Policy Project: Creating An Animal Assisted Therapy Policy For A College Of Nursing, Brooke Peyton

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Nursing students experience high levels of academic stress, anxiety, and burnout, which can negatively impact learning, professional development, and overall health. Evidence indicates that Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) has the potential to impact stress levels, improve community connection, and enhance overall well-being among nursing students. Many academic institutions lack structured policies to guide AAT programs into educational settings. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to develop a formal AAT policy for the College of Nursing with standardized procedures to implement an AAT program. Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations theoretical framework was used to guide the development of the …

Increasing Teammate Engagement For Float Pool Teammates, Jennifer Keiser

MSN Student Capstones

No abstract provided.

New Graduate Nurse Retention: Stay Interviews, Amanda Hill

MSN Student Capstones

No abstract provided.

Quality Improvement Project: Impact Of An Onboarding Program On Novice Nursing Clinical Adjunct Faculty Self-Efficacy, Tonie Metheny

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Many nursing colleges rely on adjunct faculty to deliver the clinical curriculum (i.e., skills lab, clinical instruction, simulation, etc). Without a structured approach to orienting novice adjunct clinical nursing faculty to their roles and responsibilities, educational outcomes may be negatively impacted. Nursing literature documents the impact of a structured orientation program on novice self-efficacy. The purpose of this quality improvement project is to evaluate the impact of an orientation program on novice nursing adjunct clinical faculty self-efficacy with the Academic Clinical Nurse Educator (ACNE) core competencies. Self-efficacy was assessed using the Academic Clinical Nurse Educator Skills Acquisition Tool (ACNESAT). The …

A Boost Of Confidence: Improving Perinatal Bereavement Care, Kimberly Winn

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Perinatal loss can have a profoundly distressing impact on families. Nurses play a crucial role in supporting care during this challenging period and must be confident in perinatal bereavement care.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Project was, in inpatient hospital Maternal Child Health (MCH) nursing staff (P), does implementing a standardized perinatal bereavement care checklist (I), compared to current practice (C), improve nurse confidence in perinatal bereavement care as evidenced by the Perinatal Bereavement Care Confidence Scale (PBCCS) (O) in eight weeks (T)?

Evidence: Ten evidence-based articles were included in …

Staff Education Project To Improve Management Of Depression, Maryjane Henshaw

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

I designed this Doctor of Nursing Practice staff education project to enhance the ability of primary care nurses at a mental health outpatient clinic to manage depression in patients who are non-compliant with treatment. Currently, nurses lack structured training in recognizing and addressing depression, which contributes to inconsistent care, increased relapse and readmission rates, lower patient satisfaction, and greater healthcare utilization. This project aimed to provide evidence-based education to close a critical gap in practice that affects care quality, continuity, nurse confidence, and patient outcomes. The guiding practice-focused question was: In primary care nurses at a mental health outpatient clinic, …

Improving Emergency Care Through Standardized Post Event Debriefing, Kiersten Ash, Madison Boyce, Katie Dolan, Jessica Mccann, Jessica Morones, Katherine Yaworsky

Nursing Research and EBP Day 2025

No abstract provided.

Just Culture In The Operating Room, Jaidin Degraw, Brooke Gisel

Nursing Research and EBP Day 2025

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Two Clinical Education Models On Confidence, Resilience, Organizational Commitment, And Stress And Burnout Of New Graduate Registered Nurses, Lenore Reilly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The transition to independent clinical practice is a stressful experience that may lead many new graduate RNs (NGRNs) to leave their first role within a year. Effective clinical education can help prepare NGRNs for the dynamic environment of the acute care setting. The purposes of this study, guided by Meleis’s transitions theory, were to determine if there was (a) a difference in confidence in NGRNs who experienced a dedicated education unit (DEU) and NGRNs who experienced a traditional clinical education model (TCEM), (b) a difference in resilience in NGRNs who experienced a DEU and NGRNs who experienced a TCEM, (c) …

Impact Of Staff Education On Cultural Competency Knowledge And Skills, Okechukwu Cyril Akunwafor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project involved implementing a cultural competency staff education program at an outpatient mental health clinic. The identified practice problem was poor cultural competence practices knowledge among staff, resulting in poor patient engagement and a low patient satisfaction rate. Improving cultural competency in nursing practice was necessary to facilitate therapeutic trust, increase patient treatment adherence, and enhance staff compliance with Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS). The practice-focused question guiding the DNP project was: Does implementing staff education impact their knowledge of cultural competence and confidence in adhering to CLAS? Data were collected through …

The Lived Psychosocial Experiences Of Nursing Students Transitioning From In-Person Learning To Virtual Learning: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Lesley I. Gerald-Koram

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore and understand the lived psychosocial experiences of nursing students who transitioned from in-person learning to virtual learning at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the northeast region. The study comprised of 15 participants who were enrolled in accredited nursing programs across New York, who experienced the abrupt shift in learning platforms during a global crisis. The abrupt shift significantly affected the emotional, academic, and professional development of the nursing students. This research was rooted in the growing concern of nursing student mental health, academic engagement, and preparation for clinical …

Medication Adherence Educational Module For Outpatient Nurses, Catherine Omidiwura

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medication nonadherence remains a key deterrent to high-quality care in the outpatient environment, resulting in ineffective disease control, preventable hospitalization, and rising healthcare costs. Nearly half of patients with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and mental disorders, do not take medication as prescribed. Outpatient nurses, who are at the core of mandating compliance, are often not provided with much formalized education to effectively promote compliance. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project addressed this knowledge gap through the development and implementation of an educational module to enhance nurses’ knowledge about measures for medication adherence. The practice question …

Mitigation Strategies For Burnout Prevention, Judith Nm Lamarre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This doctoral project is a staff education initiative aimed at increasing staff knowledge on burnout mitigation strategies. The project describes the practice challenge and why staff practice must address it. Psychiatric burnout leads to emotional exhaustion, professional dissatisfaction, and patient safety concerns. The work aims to answer the practice-focused question and the purpose of the doctoral project, specifically asking: Will a structured educational session on evidence-based burnout mitigation strategies increase staff knowledge? Staff knowledge was measured using pre- and post-education surveys. The pre-survey results showed mean score of 60%, while the post-survey results showed a mean score of 80%, reflecting …

Advancing Palliative Care Competency Through An Evidence-Based Educational Intervention For Healthcare Providers, Lauren Elizabeth Griffin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A major gap in acute care is the delayed initiation of palliative consultations. Although over 58 million people worldwide could benefit, only 14% receive such care. Despite evidence that early involvement improves outcomes, providers often overlook their value, leading to late referrals, typically after repeated hospitalizations or near end-of-life, when hospice may be more appropriate. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) educational intervention addressed a critical practice-focused question to enhance healthcare providers’ understanding of palliative care improve hospital-based patient outcomes. The intervention aimed to demonstrate a ≥20% knowledge gain from pretest to posttest scores related to distinguishing palliative care from …

Integrating Psychotherapy And Medication Management In A Primary Care Clinic, Patricia Nkhono

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A knowledge deficit in integrating supportive psychotherapy with medication management to treat patients’ psychiatric challenges was identified in a primary care clinical setting. I developed a staff education project to close the knowledge gaps of nurses and nurse practitioners related to an evidence-based protocol that incorporated supportive therapy in individualized treatment plans. The project’s aim was to develop, implement, and evaluate the staff education program. The focused project question centered on whether staff education would increase staff knowledge and drive increased supportive therapy orders at admission of patients. Clinical staff registered nurses and nurse practitioners (N = 5) participated in …

Improving Retention Of Newly Hired Nurses In Home Care, Chidi D. Ihezue

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the home care setting, there is an increasing need for home care services due to aging populations and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, as well as a scarcity of qualified home care staff to meet the health needs of patients in this setting. A home care agency's onboarding program, particularly its capacity to deliver comprehensive orientation and robust mentoring for new nurses, plays a crucial role in supporting the retention of newly employed nursing staff within the home care environment. Research indicates that without ongoing support and close monitoring, newly hired nurses may disengage during the onboarding and …

Stress First Aid Implementation To Address Stress Among Acute Care Nurses, Obioma Maryann Asiegbu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Acute care nurses face persistent occupational stress that contributes to burnout, anxiety, depression, and high turnover rates within healthcare systems. The Stress First Aid (SFA) framework offers a proactive, evidence-based approach to identifying and managing psychological distress among healthcare workers. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to implement and evaluate the SFA program as a structured, early-intervention model to improve nurse well-being, retention, and patient care outcomes in an acute care setting. Guided by the Stress Continuum Model and organizational change theory, this project emphasized early recognition of stress, peer support mechanisms, and continuous outcome monitoring. …

Assessing The Role Of Social Media As A Complementary Source In Pharmacovigilance: Insights From Faers, X (Formerly Twitter), And Askapatient Data Across Multiple Drug Classes, Nwanneka Okere

Dissertations

Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) pose significant public health challenges yet remain substantially underreported in traditional pharmacovigilance systems. Social media platforms and patient-reported outcome forums have emerged as potential complementary sources for capturing real-time patient experiences with medications, but their integration with established surveillance systems remains underexplored.

Purpose: This study examined ADR reporting patterns across FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), X (formerly Twitter), and Askapatient to evaluate whether patient-generated digital data can complement traditional pharmacovigilance systems for enhanced drug safety monitoring.

Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design analyzed 107,753 reports representing 289,740 individual ADR occurrences for …

Implementing A System- Wide Program To Reduce Burnout Among Healthcare Providers, Caroline Njeri Munene

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project addresses the pervasive health issue of burnout among healthcare providers, focusing on a community mental health clinic where internal data revealed high levels of staff turnover, absenteeism, medication errors, financial constraints, poor patient outcomes, and low staff satisfaction. Shortage of healthcare providers, exposure to patient trauma, high emotional demands, and administrative burdens are the systemic stressors of burnout at the project site mental health facility. These factors collectively underscored the need for a system-wide burnout reduction program to safeguard provider well-being and ensure the delivery of high-quality patient care and safety.

Executive Summary: Quality Improvement Initiative Enhancing Early Identification Of Adolescent Depression And Anxiety, Delphine Sirri

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Universal staff training to increase the validity and reliability of adolescent mental health screening was implemented in this quality improvement (QI) initiative. Depression and anxiety disorders often emerge between ages 12 and 17, yet evidence-based screening measures such as the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9/PHQ-9M) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) are underutilized due to provider knowledge gaps, workflow inefficiencies, and cultural barriers. Guided by the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice (JHNEBP) model, the project evaluated whether structured staff education improved early identification and diagnosis of adolescent depression and anxiety compared to routine practice. In workshops, web-based learning modules, case simulations, and …

Executive Summary: Organization Change Process Initiative Usability And Integration Of A Nutrition Screening Tool In Outpatient Mental Health Care, Jennifer Marie Ross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary This doctoral, practice-focused quality improvement project used a mixed-methods design to evaluate the usability, acceptability, and clinical integration of a nutrition screening tool in a mental health outpatient clinic. The project addresses a key practice gap, the lack of evaluation of the implementation of a systematic nutrition screening for individuals with severe mental illness (SMI), which contributes to worsening psychiatric symptoms and delayed recovery. Aligning with nursing’s holistic and patient-centered framework, the initiative aimed to strengthen interprofessional collaboration and preventive care. The guiding practice-focused questions addressed: How usable and acceptable is the clinical practice guideline (CPG) tool among clinic …

Executive Summary: Clinical Practice Guideline Guideline For Identifying Patients At Risk For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd), Doris Chinazo Dibia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project, I developed a clinical practice guideline to address the absence of a standardized process for identifying adult outpatients at risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a community-based mental health clinic. Without such a process, delays in trauma-focused care and inconsistent referrals may occur. The evidence base supports the use of brief, validated screening tools, such as the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5, for accurate risk identification in routine practice. The practice-focused question that I used to guide this project was: Will an evidence-based guideline for PTSD risk identification be approved …

Depression Screening In Veterans And Active-Duty Service Members With Chronic Pain, Lynelle Marie Endsley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice project addressed the absence of evidence-based depression screening among military members and veterans with chronic pain. Contrary to national guidelines, no standardized depression screening process was in place. This gap in practice was attributed to inadequate staff knowledge and understanding in using such tools. The purpose of this project was to evaluate whether staff education on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) improved knowledge and confidence, in evaluating for and identifying depression in a high-risk population. The practice-focused question asked: Will staff education on the importance and consistent use PHQ-9 increase knowledge and confidence in depression …

Personalized Resistance Exercise With Peer Support For Women With Pcos Using A Smart Home Video Device: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Guided By Self-Determination Theory, Pamela J. Wright Phd, Ms, Med, Rn, Cen, Cynthia F. Corbett Phd, Rn, Faan, Kesheng Wang

Faculty Publications

Background

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) report exercise barriers as stigma-related stress, lack of peer support, and facility issues. “Resistance exercise (RE) with peer support and bands/ball and digitally-based supervision” (REPS w/BANDS) was designed to help mitigate exercise barriers. Underscored by self-determination theory (SDT), the 12-week intervention was remotely delivered via digital technology and inclusive of peer support.

Purpose

The purposes of this pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) were to test the feasibility and acceptability of REPS w/BANDS and explore signals of within- and between-group differences on outcomes (e.g., depressive symptoms and fitness).

Methods

Participants (N = 25) …

Executive Summary: Staff Education Project Staff Education To Close A Knowledge Gap Regarding Restraints, Aaron Ross Ledbetter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this Executive Summary is to address a gap in knowledge that I attempted to close regarding restraint utilization. Restraints, both physical and chemical, have been prevalent over the past ten years and with their increased utilization during the pandemic which has continued post-pandemic. Nursing as a culture has become more reliant on restraints as it allows more time for nurses to provide care elsewhere. Both physical and psychological complications have been recognized during the utilization of physical restraints. Their prominence, although helpful with time constraints for nurses, have shown to negatively impact the patients who they are …

Psych Assessment In The Er, Bailey J. Thompson, Addie Cowger, Hailie Hollis

Scholars Week

An immense amount of patients who enter the emergency department, whether for a psychiatric illness or not, struggle with mental health challenges. By creating a standardized routine and checklists for the care of high-risk psychiatric patients, the new quality and consistency can enhance patient experiences. This process will start at the triage stage and continue throughout their stay. Presenting the supportive research to the emergency department staff and introducing these changes gradually will help with staff buy-in and become a more sustainable process. Finally, with a structured approach, psychiatric patient outcomes will benefit significantly.

Improving Cpr Confidence And Competence Of Medical-Surgical Nurse Residents, Anthony Joseph Alvarado

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Novice nurses often lack cardiac arrest training, jeopardizing patient outcomes and staff confidence. This pilot project addressed gaps in CPR preparedness, early recognition, timely response, and confidence among nurse residents. The goal was to develop, implement, and evaluate a competency-based code blue simulation to strengthen the residents’ knowledge and skills. Professional Development Specialists will learn strategies for integrating a code blue simulation experience into a nurse residency curriculum to enhance patient safety.

Compassion Fatigue And Burnout In Community-Based Psychiatric Staff, Faith Carini-Graves

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

Community-based psychiatric staff, such as the Youth ACT teams that are being initiated across New York State, are at risk for compassion fatigue due to their proximity to the trauma of their patients. This literature review explores current evidence that is available on the topic and grapples with what can be done to support psychiatric staff who work in the community with patients who experience trauma.

Increasing Pediatric Hpv Vaccination Rates, Brooke A. Nicholas

Dissertations

Increasing Pediatric HPV Vaccination Rates

Abstract

Problem: The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection that affects more than 80% of the population within the United States (Eisenhauer et al., 2020). HPV can develop into cervical, anogenital, and oropharyngeal cancers (Eisenhauer et al., 2020). About 4,000 individuals die from cervical cancer alone each year (O’Leary, 2022). The HPV vaccine, though recommended by the ACIP and AAP, is below national vaccination rates in comparison to other vaccines (O’Leary, 2022).

Methods: This quality improvement project is a non-randomized controlled trial that observed HPV vaccine dose completion rates for patients aged 9-14 …

State Of Menstrual Health Education In 2024: Content Analysis Of Us K-12 Public School Education Standards, Emily Richardson, Sarah Bemis, Page Dobbs, Hope Ballentine, Shristi Bhochhibhoya, Victor Kwaku Akakpo, Kylie Lovett

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Exploratory study aiming to assess the prevalence and time of initiation of menstrual health curriculum in US public school education standards by state. Methods: US public school Kindergarten-12th grade education standards from each state's Department of Education website, including D.C. (n = 51), were searched for menstruation, menstrual, menses, menopause, period, menarche, reproduction, puberty, and growth and development. Results25.5% (n = 13) of US education standards include menstruation. Of these, constructs of comprehensive menstrual health were recorded including abnormal menstruation (n = 6), menstrual hygiene (n = 6), menopause (n = 1), and stigma (n = 7). Education is …