Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Improving Obesity Management In Primary Care, Jeffrey M. Waddell

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

This project examined how advanced practice nurses (APNs) manage overweight and obesity in primary care. Not only were their general attitudes and beliefs toward overweight and obesity explored, but their beliefs about the treatment and management of obesity were also examined. The APNs’ knowledge and current practice with managing obesity in the primary care setting were evaluated. This project went on to examine the APNs’ awareness and utilization of clinical practice guidelines in managing overweight and obesity. Finally, the study asked about the perceived impact of a website designed to provide guidance managing obesity based on the American Association of …

Improving Early Child Developmental Screenings In A Primary Care Setting: A Quality Improvement Project, Marlischa Jackson

Doctor of Nursing Practice

A dramatic growth of physical, motor, cognitive, communication, emotional, and social development will occur during the 3 years of life. Of children ages 3-17 years of age, 13% have some type of developmental or behavioral condition that goes undiagnosed before the age of 10. Children with multiple health and social risk factors, or those with chronic health disorders, are at greater risk to develop early child delays or disabilities. In the U. S., developmental screenings are only completed 21% of the time during well-child visits. Therefore, the purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase the adherence of health …

Development Of A Patient-Centered Medical Home Toolkit At An Integrated Primary Care Clinic, Lyndsay A. Randall

Doctoral Projects

Health care spending in the United States far exceeds that of other high-income countries (Squires & Anderson, 2015). In 2013, the U.S. spent 17.1 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on healthcare, which was almost 50 percent more than the next highest spender noted as France (Squires & Anderson, 2015). While the U.S. spends more on healthcare than other countries, multiple other health outcome measures are worse including life expectancy, heart disease, diabetes, and chronic respiratory illnesses (Squires & Anderson, 2015). Today’s healthcare system is highly fragmented, lacking the necessary coordination within the primary care setting. Better care coordination …

Implementation Of The National Asthma Guidelines In A Residential Pediatric Clinic, Patricia A. Foster-Staples

Dissertations

Abstract

Purpose: Foster care children admitted to residential facilities are a unique and vulnerable group, many presenting with undiagnosed or poorly managed asthma. The alarming rate of residents admitted to a particular residential primary care clinic with a diagnosis of asthma led to the project question: “Based on record reviews, does staff education about the importance of utilizing the national guidelines for asthma education influence the implementation of such guidelines in a residential pediatric clinic?” The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a systematic process to influence practice change. The project was conducted over a period …

Implementation Of Screening Guidelines To Improve Quality Of Care In A Small, Ethnically Diverse Pediatric Primary Care Practice…Then What?, Brooke Basford

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Although best practice guidelines have been shown to be effective, the process of translation into everyday practice can be challenging. The purpose of this evidence-based project (EBP) was the implementation of standardized screening tools into annual well-child visits in a small, ethnically diverse pediatric primary care practice in southern California. Standardized screening is recognized as an important process in identifying conditions early to facilitate early intervention. The practice site identified obesity has a priority and consequently the Department of Health Care Services: Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) Program Guidelines for Diet and Nutrition Screening for Children assessment form was …

Development Of A Protocol For Implementing A Registered Nurse-Led Annual Wellness Visit In A Primary Care Setting, Jennifer R. Campbell

Doctoral Projects

This project was a quality improvement initiative utilizing a new format to deliver the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) to Medicare recipients. The purpose of the project was the development of a protocol for implementing a registered nurse (RN)-led AWV in a primary care setting. The pilot project focused on changing the clinic’s current AWV structure from a provider-led format to a RN-led format. The pilot was geared towards improving care coordination, while enhancing preventive services and early intervention for chronic disease management. The 6-week pilot was used to help identify areas of weaknesses in the registered nurse-led AWV. During …

Establishing A Nurse Practitioner Residency Program In A Rural Federally Qualified Health Center: A Feasibility Analysis And Pilot Study, Seson Kahn Dnp, Fnp, Alexa Curtis Phd, Fnp-Bc, Jodie Sandhu Dnp, Fnp-C

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Abstract

Rural communities are disproportionately underserved and have been identified as a priority population to improve health outcomes and access to care (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2015). National organizations have recognized a deficit in primary care providers, recommended nurse practitioners (NPs) as a solution, and supported NP residency programs as a means to prepare and recruit qualified practitioners into communities (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2010; The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [PPACA], 2010). However, there are only three primary care NP residency programs in rural California (National Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship Training Consortium [NNPRFTC], 2015). …

Provider Based Interventions To Mitigate Risk For Opioid Pain Medication Abuse Among Adult Patients In A Primary Care Setting, Sheree Lamara Conley-Donaldson

Doctoral Projects

Mental and substance use disorders are predicted to exceed all physical disease processes causing major disability by 2020. Misuse and overdose of opioid pain medications is a significant public health concern in the United States. Approximately 1 in 4 patients receiving prescription opioids in primary care settings struggle with misuse. Half of all opioid prescriptions are written by primary care providers, including nurse practitioners. The purpose of this DNP project was to determine if nurse practitioner providers are implementing evidence-based practice guidelines including screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) to mitigate risk of prescription opioid pain medication misuse …

The Effect Of Routine Adult Phq-2 Depression Screen And Scheduled Follow-Up Protocol In The Primary Care Setting, Alex F. Bikowski

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Healthy People has projected depression to be the primary cause of disability by 2020; therefore routine depression screening has been prioritized as a national healthcare initiative. The purpose of this Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) project is to demonstrate that routine implementation of the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) depression screener, along with a scheduled follow-up protocol for adults in the primary care setting, can improve current mental health practices regarding the identification of depression by clinicians. The evidence supports use of the PHQ-2 for routine adult depression screening, as long as a scheduled follow-up protocol is available for positive screens. This …

A Technical Integration Of Primary Care Into A Behavioral Health Site, Lara M. Dengerink-Vantil

Doctoral Projects

People with persistent mental illness experience more chronic disease and co-morbidities than the general population, impacting their quality of life and increasing the cost of health care. In spite of the increased need for primary care services, people with mental illness encounter barriers to health care including lack of access to care, and a shortage of both primary care and psychiatric care providers. While this challenge was previously addressed by attempting to integrate behavioral health care into primary care settings, recent research indicates that a more successful model is reversed shared care, or the integration of primary care into a …

The Design Of An Evidence-Based Protocol For Primary Care Of Patients With Dementia, Kaitlin B. Demaagd

Doctoral Projects

Improvement in the effectiveness and optimization of care outcomes for patients with dementia in primary care is a national priority (American Medical Association-convened Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement [PCPI], 2014). Alzheimer’s disease affects more than 5 million Americans. Patients with dementia cost the nation $236 billion in 2016 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016). In 2014, the PCPI developed ten evidence-based recommendations to address the gaps in outpatient dementia care called the Dementia Performance Measure Set (DPMS). An independently owned, non-system affiliated primary care practice identified the need to improve the quality of care they provide to their patients with dementia and their …

Primary Care "Catches" Up With Behavioral Health, Michael Hannes Thorarinson

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

The problems caused by the lack of care coordination between primary care and behavioral health are well documented. Patients with uncontrolled mental health issues along with chronic health problems cost two to three times the health care dollars to manage than patients who have the same chronic health problems but without uncontrolled mental health issues. Despite this, in rural North Carolina, the de facto level of care coordination is none. Mental health and primary care are completely separate, distinct systems that do not routinely communicate. One of the identified barriers to care coordination is the lack of reimbursement for the …

Primary Care Nursing Barriers To Identifying And Referring Patients To Palliative Care, Angela F. Rutherford

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Palliative care (PC) is an interdisciplinary approach that specifically focuses on improving quality of life for people living with chronic, life-limiting illnesses (Kelley & Morrison, 2015). Ideally, PC should be initiated at the time of diagnosis. Research suggest that PC referrals are often delayed until there is a clearly terminal event, leading to unnecessary suffering from preventable symptoms and poor quality of life (Wilson, Avalos, & Dowling, 2016). The aim of this MSN thesis was to determine what barriers exist in the primary care setting to identifying and/or referring patients to PC programs. A descriptive study was performed utilizing an …

Identification And Ptsd Screening Of Military Veteran Patients In Community Healthcare: A Quality Improvement Project, Caitlin Rose Budrewicz

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Military veterans are at an increased risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to their prior military service. Establishing veteran status of patients cared for in civilian healthcare and screening for PTSD will increase the likelihood of identifying symptoms and prompt appropriate treatment. Purpose: The focus of this project is to increase practitioner awareness and knowledge of PTSD in veteran patients as well as to identify and screen veteran patients for PTSD symptoms utilizing the primary care PTSD screen (PC-PTSD). Method: To determine veteran status, patients over the age of 18 years in an internal medicine clinic will be …

Nurse Practitioner Screening For Adverse Childhood Outcomes In Adult Primary Care, Mary B. Shafer

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) contribute to negative health outcomes. The impact of ACE is linked with physical, mental, and developmental disruption, increase in health-risk behaviors, and increased healthcare utilization. Approximately sixty percent of the US population reports a history of ACE. Despite this growing evidence that ACE is associated with health problems, primary care providers infrequently screen patients for ACE, nor do they consider the impact of ACE on health. The lack of routine screening for ACE in primary care represents lost opportunities to impact health outcomes and promote wellness. The overall goal of this project is to translate research …

Educational Intervention For Health Care Providers Prescribing Opioids For Individuals With Chronic Pain, Sonya Lachance

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Health care providers (HCP) are the primary caregivers for chronic pain in ambulatory care practice and are the predominant prescribers of opioids. Pain medication accounts for at least 11% of all prescriptions in ambulatory care yet research suggests the number could be as high as 20%. Given the current opioid epidemic, HCPs need guidelines to assist in treating chronic pain patients.

Methods: An educational intervention was implemented in a primary care practice to increase provider knowledge of chronic pain management and opioid prescribing utilizing a pre-survey, PowerPoint presentation, and post-knowledge survey.

Results: Seven providers attended the education intervention and …

An Educational Toolkit To Promote Lung Cancer Screening In Primary Care, Courtney Cloonan

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States for both men and women. Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) demonstrates reductions in lung cancer mortality and all-cause mortality, and improved rates of early stage diagnosis in high-risk current and former adult smokers. Evidence-based screening guidelines include annual LDCT in high-risk current and former adult smokers; however, these guidelines have not been fully translated into clinical practice. The purpose of this project was to create a toolkit for lung cancer screening to assist primary care providers in educating and screening their patients at high-risk …

Losing Weight With Five A’S (5 A’S): Assess, Advise, Agree, Assist, Arrange Framework And Motivational Interviewing (Mi) For Health Behavior Change Counseling, Jacqueline Baer

Theses and Dissertations

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity has reached epidemic levels and has associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality rates. The increasing prevalence of obesity is a major public health concern. Researchers calculate that health care costs are 44% higher among moderately and severely obese older persons than for persons at normal weights. Seventy-five percent of African American (AA) women are overweight and obese according to data from the CDC and The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America. Compared to any other racial ethnic group, AA women are more likely to …

Evaluation Of Depression Screening Practices In Comorbid Patients In The Primary Care Setting, Kristyn L. Clark

DNP Projects

SPECIFIC AIMS: To evaluate the current rates of depression screening using the PHQ-2/9 in patients with comorbid conditions at a single, urban primary care office; to explore barriers to depression screening among providers.

METHODS: A retrospective chart review was completed on a sample of 188 patients seen between January and June 2017. Patients were equally divided among four comorbid diagnoses- COPD, obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. A provider interview was conducted to identify depression screening barriers and typical treatments regimens.

RESULTS: A total of 70.2% of patients had a documented depression screening. Of 67 patients diagnosed with depression, 11.9% …

Screening For Alcohol Use/Abuse In The Primary Care Setting Using The Audit-C And Sbirt (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral To Treatment), Whitney D. Spear

DNP Projects

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of alcohol screening in the primary care setting to detect alcohol abuse or misuse using the AUDIT-C standardized screening tool and SBIRT.

METHODS: This study design was a Quasi-Experimental intervention, one group post-test. Data was collected via retrospective chart review from the electronic medical records by the type of office visit; either new patient initial visit or annual well visit. The patient sample consisted of 25 participants for the study period of September 19^th through October 10^th, 2017.

RESULTS: There were 37 patients eligible to participate …

Screening For Sleep Apnea In Patients With Hypertension Using The Stop-Bang Tool In A Primary Care Setting, Natalie R. Jennette

DNP Projects

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common cause of high blood pressure but often undetected in patients with hypertension. Screening tools for OSA exist but are underutilized. This project aimed to identify current practices and perceptions related to screening for OSA in patients with hypertension and improve primary care provider knowledge of OSA and screening rates using the STOP-BANG screening tool. The providers acknowledged the importance of screening patients with hypertension but there was no increase in screening after education was provided. Effective screening tools exist but effective strategies to bring this evidence to practice need to be explored further.

Primary Care Nurse Practitioners And Organizational Culture, Leanne Christine Rowand

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse practitioners (NPs) were introduced to the British Columbia healthcare system 12 years ago. Integration challenges related to infrastructure and relationships between administrators and physicians continue. The purpose of this project was to understand how nurse practitioners, working in primary care roles, experience the organizational climate within their healthcare agency. Kanter's empowerment theory guided this project. Data were collected using the Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Organizational Climate Questionnaire. A total of 64 NPs relayed their degree of perceived organizational support. NPs scored highest on Autonomy and Independent Practice (Mean [M] = 3.54, Standard Deviation [SD] = 0.59). Organizational Support and …