Changing Minds, Changing Lives: Increasing Resilience In Undergraduate Nursing Students Through The Implementation Of A Resilience Educational Intervention Program, Jennifer Rivera-Perez

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Nursing students suffer from high levels of stress and psychological distress, especially those with histories of childhood adversity. The COVID-19 pandemic has been an additional source of stress on students. Students who suffer from psychological distress are at greater risk of engaging in maladaptive behaviors that may lead to physical and psychological conditions. Despite this data, college campuses lack resilience intervention programs, which have been shown to reduce psychological distress, perceived stress, and increase resilience. Purpose: The purpose of this Quality Improvement project was to implement a well-established evidence-based resilience program for nursing students, and to evaluate the feasibility …

Reducing The Risk Of Fentanyl Related Overdose In Medication Assisted Treatment Programs Based On Principles Of Motivational Interviewing, Anna B. Snow, Chelsea Betsold

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: The increase in fentanyl exposure by individuals who use illicit drugs has risen causing a significant increase in the number of overdoses and overdose-related deaths. Drug checking for the presence of fentanyl can allow drug users to make more informed decisions especially when combined with motivational interviewing.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to assess the effectiveness of an educational program for clinical staff regarding the use of fentanyl test strips based on the principles of motivational interviewing.

Methods: The project was completed at a Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program in an outpatient behavioral health facility in New …

Standardizing Behavioral Health Triage: Using The Heads-Ed Tool, Sarah K. Peifer

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: In the past two years emergency departments across the country have experienced an increase in pediatric patients requiring behavioral health care. It is essential to provide efficient, early intervention to these vulnerable patients. The use of a standardized tool can improve management of pediatric patients and allow access to resources in a timely manner.

Purpose: To evaluate the implementation of the HEADS-ED in a community hospital ED, to provide rapid behavioral health assessment.

Methods: Education for staff was provided through various platforms and involved regular support for staff throughout the intervention. It was hypothesized that implementation of …

A Toolkit To Assist Child And Adolescent Providers In Assessing Problematic Internet Use And Cyberbullying In An Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic, Collin J. Mcgrath

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Social media has become a transformational part of daily life in the United States. Currently, there are few assessment tools and no standard of care when it comes to assessing internet use, social media, and cyberbullying among child and adolescent patients. Problematic internet use (PIU) and cyberbullying can both significantly and negatively impact the mental health of children and adolescents. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of an online toolkit implementation for a Southwest Florida (SWFL) outpatient psychiatry office. A pre/post one group design was used. A convenience sample of 13 healthcare providers was recruited from …

A Quality Improvement Project To Assess The Value Of Pharmacogenomic Testing In Adults Diagnosed With Major Depression, Ileana Miranda Velazquez

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Abstract

Background: Treatment of major depression follows the guidelines from evidence-based medicine established algorithms; however, 50% of patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder do not respond to their first medication trial, and 70% may go through four treatment attempts before achieving remission.

Purpose: To demonstrate the value of pharmacogenomic testing as a treatment-guidance technology in patients with resistant depression and assess healthcare providers' motivation to adopt the technology.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of (N = 73) patients' treatment response measured by the pre-post PHQ-9 depression scale after pharmacogenomic guided medication intervention with descriptive statistics and paired t-test. The …

Development Of A Pediatric Depression Healthcare Toolkit, Maria Theresa Kennedy

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Depression is a debilitating and life-threatening disease that strongly affects youth in the United States. Low socioeconomic populations often have high-risk factors for depression, low health literacy, and poor access to care. Risk factors are amplified for those who identify as gender non-binary or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ). Psychoeducation can empower youth to be active participants within their treatment.

Purpose: The focus of this project was to evaluate a newly developed healthcare toolkit for pediatric depression in the format of an eBook for mental health professionals.

Methods: An eBook focusing on depression pathology, symptoms and …

Enhancing Therapeutic Alliances In Neonatal Care: Parents With Substance Use Disorders, Shannon A. Starkey

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: The number of newborns exposed to opiates quadrupled in the United States from 1999 to 2014, from 1.5 per 1,000 hospital deliveries to 6.5 per 1,000. Many of these babies are admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit for neonatal abstinence withdrawal syndrome. While neonatal nurses are trained to care for babies exposed to substances in utero, they often struggle to meet the unique psychosocial needs of the babies’ parents. Negative attitudes and strained interactions between neonatal nurses and families with substance use disorders (SUDs) result in subtherapeutic alliances and suboptimal outcomes in neonatal nurseries. Purpose: Educational …

Fostering Resilience In The School-Aged Child, Patricia D. Schneider

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: The world is a challenging and sometimes difficult place to navigate. People are faced with tragedies and adversity. Without supportive people and environments, this can lead to poor outcomes such as physically, socially, and emotionally. Children rely on adults to provide safety, love, and security yet many children do not receive the care they need and deserve. Adversity in children affects their development and reduces their capabilities to deal with stress. For a society to prosper and grow, reducing child adversity is essential. Resilience is a powerful tool that can be fostered and developed in children, so they are …

Cultural Communication For New Nurse Residents: K.I.N.D Communication Toolkit, Jennifer Caraballo

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Microaggressions can create a hostile work environment and decrease rapport and functioning in clinical and personal relationships. Exposure to micro aggression and implicit bias results in micro trauma and possible compassion fatigue by medical staff. Symptoms can include headaches, poor sleep, depressions, and anxiety, similar to compassion fatigue.

Purpose: To develop a toolkit for healthcare staff to use as educational material to facilitate for cultural communication and cultural humility.

Methods: Nurses that were enrolled in a nurse residency program at a level 1 trauma center participated in the education of a communication toolkit related to K.I.N.D …

School-Based Telemental Health And Family Psychoeducation: A Program Evaluation, Ainat Koren

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Telemental Health has been established as an effective model of care in the adult population. There are few studies that addressed the effects of providing child and parent telehealth services in underserved communities where mental health services are sparse. Families who attend face to face mental health support report high levels of satisfaction, show increased knowledge about mental illness/treatment, and youth have a lower risk of relapse.

Purpose: The purpose of this DNP project was to evaluate an innovative Telemental Health model offering timely social/behavioral health support for children/families’ mental health services in rural Massachusetts.

Methods: Process …

Mitigating Prescription Opioid Risk: Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs, Brenda Vigue

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Opioid-related morbidity and mortality is a serious public health issue in the United States. Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) review prior to prescribing opioids has consistently been recommended as best practices for risk mitigation, however, access/utilization of this monitoring program remains low.

Methods: This quality improvement (QI) project for improved PDMP utilization employed a pre-post survey design in a random sample of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in Arizona. Quantitative measures included online surveys with close-ended responses to salient items from the review of literature and best practices. A follow-up survey was requested of the participants who provided their …

Screening Adults With Substance Use Disorder For Adverse Childhood Experiences, Teri Murtha

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background and purpose-Exposure to adverse childhood experiences results in increased morbidity and mortality among individuals with substance use disorders. Screening for histories of childhood trauma, and integration of trauma-informed care is lacking among health care practitioners. Integrating screening for histories of childhood abuse in person’s seeking treatment for substance abuse disorders can facilitate identification of individuals interested in additional support and resources to support their recovery. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of a screening interview protocol for ACEs and to determine the presence of ACEs among individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) …

An Integrative Review With Toolkit For Caregivers Of Persons With Dementia, Lea Grippin

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Abstract

Background: The risk of burnout among caregivers of people with dementia is on the increase. Dementia is a progressive neuropsychiatric disorder affecting the cognitive function resulting in confusion and disorientation leading to greater demands on the caregiver which can lead to depression, social isolation, stress, worsening personal health, anxiety, fatigue, financial losses, and potential for abuse.

Methods: This project focused on creating a toolkit for nursing staff caring for patients with dementia followed by a presentation designed to provide options for caregiver support that can assist the caregiver in decreasing their feelings of stress and burnout. This included strategies …

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 …