Nursing Commons^™

Staff Education To Improve Cultural Competence In Mental Health Care, Mariam Farah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This doctoral project addressed a gap in staff cultural competence at a mental health and addiction services center in the Midwest. I conducted this project to design, implement, and evaluate a staff educational program to improve staff knowledge, cultural awareness, and communication skills. The guiding practice-focused question was: Among staff at the Midwest mental health and addiction services center, how does a structured cultural competence education program compare to current practices in improving staff knowledge of cultural awareness? A 2-day educational session was held to accommodate participation within regular work schedules without interfering with the project site organization’s services. Arrangements …

Enhancing Patient Follow-Up: Creating And Evaluating Clinical Practice Guidelines On Appointment Reminders Using The Agree Ii Tool, Goretti Numfor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This report presents the outcomes of a quality improvement (QI) DNP practicum project situated at an outpatient facility. The preparation for the practicum project included a situational assessment to determine feasible changes and an appropriate strategy of change leadership. The target practice problem is missed appointments. Keeping appointments is a defining element of plans for care for medical services that require regular assessments and updates. In psychiatric nursing, reminders dictate schedules for the nurse practitioners because they indicate expected encounters and commitments. At the same time, unplanned changes could demand a change of the appointments or rescheduling. Best practice guidelines …

Bridging The Gap: Improving Medication Communication Through The Teach-Back Method At Discharge, Sangeeta Biju Varghese

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Patient experience and hospital readmission rates are both key performance indicators in value-based reimbursement, as defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Both these indicators have a negative impact not only on patients but also on hospital profitability, and they are closely tied to discharge education. Lack of proper discharge instructions, especially about medication regimen, can result in adverse effects in patients post-discharge, which could have been prevented had they gotten adequate discharge instructions. Research has shown that almost 20% of patients leaving the hospital have an adverse drug event after discharge. Nurses have a key role in …

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 …

Cv: Christina Jeslis (Nursing), Christina Jeslis

Nursing Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

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 …

Development Of A Clinical Practice Guideline For The Prevention Of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (Cautis) In A Skilled Nursing Facility, Marford Okoye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract (as displayed in your dissertation/thesis): This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project focused on developing a clinical practice guideline (CPG) and accompanying checklist to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) in adult inpatients within a skilled nursing facility. CAUTIs represent the most prevalent healthcare-associated infections in both acute and long-term care environments, contributing to increased patient morbidity, prolonged hospitalization, and elevated healthcare costs. A key issue identified was inconsistent adherence to evidence-based practices related to catheter insertion, maintenance, and timely removal—posing a significant threat to patient safety. The guiding practice question for this project was: Will a clinical practice …

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 …

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 …

Staff Education: Teaching Patients To Manage Their Hypertension, Andrea Arroyo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project on staff education addresses the practice problem of staff knowledge deficits in educating patients on hypertensive management. The project question was: Will evidence-based hypertension management education increase staff knowledge? The project evaluated the effectiveness of a structured educational program in training personnel on how to educate patients on optimal hypertension management techniques. The project used evidence-based literature to bridge a clinical practice gap, educate staff, and empower healthcare professionals to improve patient care. Ten participants were a part of the project. A pre-survey was administered, followed by a PowerPoint presentation on how to …

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 …

Staff Education On Cancer-Related Fatigue Assessments, Tamira Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A staff education DNP project was designed and implemented with a focus on the analysis, synthesis, and application of best practices to enhance staff knowledge and performance through targeted education on fatigue assessments in cancer care. The project sought to answer the question: Does oncology nurse staff education increase knowledge of fatigue assessments in patients with cancer as compared pre to post education? The purpose of this project was to address a knowledge deficit by increasing staff knowledge on fatigue assessment in an ambulatory care setting by recognizing that cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a complex, multifactorial symptom that often goes …

Staff Education On Fall Prevention In The Emergency Department, Linda Odoh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This DNP staff education project was an initiative focused on improving fall-related knowledge among faculty members. The practice problem identified at the local project site was the frequent rate of patient falls. Analysis established the role of staff in the inefficient implementation of best practices and to the staff’s limited knowledge regarding the application of existing fall prevention strategies. The practice-focused question for this project was, In the emergency department setting, how does a fall prevention education program compared to pre-implementation practices, affect staff knowledge of fall prevention strategies within three months? The purpose of the project was to improve …

Improving Staff Knowledge And Confidence In Hypertension Patient Education Through Health Literacy Training, Blessing Ukomadu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary This DNP staff education project focuses on providing health literacy training. The practice problem identified at the local project site was inadequate patient education it may have resulted from a number of factors,. poor blood pressure control. The practice-focused question for this project was as follows: “Will staff education on health literacy and patient education improve staff knowledge and confidence in providing HTN patient education?” The purpose of this doctoral project was to enhance healthcare providers' capacity to deliver effective, evidence-based hypertension education. Eventually, providers would acquire effective communication that would improve patient understanding and self-management. Awareness of this …

Monitoring And Managing Side Effects Of Hydroxyurea: Mucositis, Cytopenia And Fatigue, Sharon Mattox

APRN Week 2025

No abstract provided.

Staff Education To Reduce Relapse Rates Among Individuals With Substance Use Disorders, Joyce Chioma Nwakor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The program created a more encouraging recovery environment by greatly increasing staff competency in relapse prevention. Staff reported having more conversations with patients about preventing relapses. These enhancements might result in lower relapse rates and better long-term recovery outcomes.

Telepsychiatry For Veterans Who Are Homeless, Vivian J. White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project was a clinical practice guideline (CPG) for mental health providers to expand telepsychiatry services to veterans who are homeless in a day treatment center. The practice problem was the lack of a standardized approach to increase access to mental health care. This CPG supports nurses in implementing evidence-based interventions to reduce mental health disparities and promote equitable care delivery for veterans who are homeless. The guideline was aimed to ensure safe, effective, and coordinated mental health care through integration with interprofessional teams. The project question was: Does the evidence support development of a CPG for provision of telepsychiatry …

Staff Education To Improve Primary Care Providers’ Knowledge And Confidence In Utilizing The Phq-9 For Routine Mental Health Screenings, Debra Ann Stewart-Delancy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary The ineffective use of the PHQ-9 tool to assess depression during primary care was the problem that this quality improvement project aimed to resolve, which is a hindrance to timely diagnosis and equitable behavioral health care. Inconsistent use of screening of depression was tackled in the project. The treatment and detection of it at its early stages were constrained by gaps in provider knowledge and confidence. The project assessed the effect of a formal staff educational intervention to increase knowledge, confidence, and the probability of incorporating the PHQ-9 depression screening tool into the workflow of a primary care clinic. …

Patient Safety In Ambulatory Hysteroscopy, Myko Lanier

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

NA

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 …

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 …

Improving Healthcare Providers’ Knowledge On Heart Failure Self-Care Management, Linda Nkeiruka Ukwu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

N/A

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.

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. …

Staff Education To Improve Staff Knowledge On Self-Care Management Of Hypertension, Zainab Kebbie Turay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary This DNP staff education project focused on improving staff knowledge on self-care management of hypertension. The overarching patient care problem at the project site was uncontrolled hypertension among adult patients with lack of staff knowledge and confidence in delivering related patient education. Addressing uncontrolled hypertension is vital within nursing practice due to its impact on public health and the opportunity for a nurse-led evidence-based intervention to improve patient outcomes. The practice-focused question for this project was: “In adults with uncontrolled hypertension, does staff education program on hypertension self-care management improve staff knowledge on how to educate patients on self-care …

Evaluating The Compliance Of A Patient-Centered Daily Care Plan In An Acute Care Setting, Abigale Tzu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement evaluation project addressed inconsistent use of the Patient-Centered Daily Care Plan at a local acute care hospital. The problem was a gap in compliance with California Title 22 requirements, creating risk for survey deficiencies and limiting interdisciplinary communication. The purpose of this project was to evaluate whether the revised daily care plan improved individualized documentation and organizational compliance. De-identified aggregate data from pre-implementation (August–October 2023) and post-implementation (June–August 2024) periods were analyzed descriptively. Results showed a meaningful improvement in checklist completion, with compliance increasing from 94.8% to 97.3%. These findings demonstrated stronger …

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 Leadership System Improvement: System- Level Program To Improve Care For Type-Ii Diabetic Patients, Jane Chukwura

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The DNP Scholarly Project presents the Diabetes Interprofessional Management Program, an organization-wide, logic-model–driven initiative to improve glycemic control, empower self-management, and advance health equity for adults with type II diabetes. The project leverages an interprofessional team, targeted training, culturally tailored education, health technology tools, and community partnerships to translate resources into team-based care, personalized plans, self-management support, and continuous education, with outputs including trained staff, engaged patients, and standardized care protocols. Short-term outcomes center on reduced mean HbA1c, more patients achieving HbA1c <7%, and widespread adoption of evidence-based pathways with standardized testing cadences. Long-term outcomes focus on fewer complications, higher patient satisfaction, and reduced disparities through the expansion of Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) and culturally appropriate resources, underpinned by robust data governance. The evaluation and implementation plan measures clinical outcomes, patient experience, and equity over 0–24 months, using formative metrics (workflow deployment, training, testing timeliness, DSME referrals, portal use) and summative metrics (HbA1c changes, HbA1c <7% at 12 months, hospitalizations, complications, knowledge and quality of life, equity indicators, and ROI). Governance features a Data Steering Subcommittee and quarterly dashboards. Deliverables include standardized protocols, DSME curricula, EHR workflows, training, and a scalable, sustainable model for broader deployment.

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 …