Quality Improvement Project: Improving Psychiatric Provider Confidence In Prescribing Long-Acting Injectable (Lai) Antipsychotics Through A Structured Education Program,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Quality Improvement Project: Improving Psychiatric Provider Confidence In Prescribing Long-Acting Injectable (Lai) Antipsychotics Through A Structured Education Program, Emile Bihnyuy
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Schizophrenia is a disorder that affects about 24 million people globally and needs regular antipsychotic drug management to prevent relapse. Although long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics are associated with better adherence to and fewer relapses than oral antipsychotics, their use is underutilized in outpatient psychiatric care. This quality improvement project aimed to increase psychiatric providers' confidence in the prescribing of LAIs by implementing a structured 12-week education program in an outpatient psychiatric clinic in Texas. The implementation was guided by the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice and the change process informed by Lewin's Change Model. Four psychiatric providers completed the modified …
Quality Improvement Project: The Impact Of Proper Utilization Of Suicidal Ideation Screening Tools,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Quality Improvement Project: The Impact Of Proper Utilization Of Suicidal Ideation Screening Tools, Anuoluwapo Bode-Oloye
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Suicide remains a significant public health concern, emphasizing the importance of consistent and evidence-based suicide risk assessment in outpatient mental health settings. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice quality improvement project was to determine how the provider’s implementation of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scales (CSSRS) according to the recommendations of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration would impact the confidence and the rate of completion of suicidal screening tools (Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scales) compared to current clinic policy in an outpatient mental health clinic for over twelve weeks. This project used Lewin’s change model …
Quality Improvement Project: Improve Patient Show Rate For Appointments At The Outpatient Diabetic Clinic,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Quality Improvement Project: Improve Patient Show Rate For Appointments At The Outpatient Diabetic Clinic, Smitha Mathew
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Missed appointments disrupt diabetes management, delay treatment, and waste healthcare resources. This quality improvement project evaluated whether patient-centered scheduling, staff education, and multimodal communication reduced no-show rates among adults with diabetes. The Plan-Do-Study-Act model provided the theoretical and implementation framework, while Kotter’s Eight-Step Change Model guided practice change. The uncontrolled preintervention-postintervention project occurred from January through July 2026 in a hospital-based outpatient diabetes clinic. The evidence-based intervention included 45-minute staff education, scheduling based on patients’ preferred days and times, verifying contact information and communication preferences, sending telephone and text reminders, and re-engaging patients the same day after missed appointments. Appointment …
The Impact Of Provider Education On Medication Adherence In An Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic: A Quality Improvement Project,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
The Impact Of Provider Education On Medication Adherence In An Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic: A Quality Improvement Project, Tina Ezeh
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Medication adherence is important in psychiatric care, as nonadherence can contribute to poor health outcomes and increased use of healthcare services. A needs assessment at an outpatient psychiatric clinic identified inconsistent medication adherence education, with only 30% of providers routinely providing education and 20% using a structured approach. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate structured provider education, with the aim of assessing changes in provider confidence and the frequency of medication adherence education over eight weeks. Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model guided project implementation, while the Donabedian Model was used for project evaluation. A quantitative, one-group pretest-posttest …
Quality Improvement Project: Evaluating The Impact Of An Emotional Support Program For Nurses In A Rural Outpatient Clinic,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Quality Improvement Project: Evaluating The Impact Of An Emotional Support Program For Nurses In A Rural Outpatient Clinic, Tosheta Brown Greenfield
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Nurse burnout is a persistent, well-documented threat to workforce sustainability and patient safety, with rural nurses at heightened risk due to chronic understaffing, geographic isolation, and limited access to organizational support. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement and evaluate an eight-week Emotional Well-Being Support Program (EWSP), with the aim of reducing burnout and perceived stress among nurses working in a small rural primary care clinic. Guided by Lewin's Change Model and the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice, the project used a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test single-group design with four participating nurses. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout …
Quality Improvement Project: Providing Evidence-Based Practice Education On Administering The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screening During Visits Once Per Trimester And Postpartum,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Quality Improvement Project: Providing Evidence-Based Practice Education On Administering The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screening During Visits Once Per Trimester And Postpartum, Megan Keeney
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Perinatal depression (PND) is prevalent worldwide and frequently remains undetected and untreated due to inconsistent screening. At the project site, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was administered postpartum only, without standardization. This quality improvement project implemented evidence-based provider education and a revised EPDS protocol, screening once per trimester and postpartum, to increase PND identification, provider self-confidence, self-efficacy, and behavioral health referral rates. This project was guided by Lewin’s Change Theory and the Donabedian framework. A quantitative pre-post design was used with nine providers in an outpatient women’s health clinic, alongside a retrospective and post-implementation electronic health record (EHR) review. …
Quality Improvement Project: Enhancing Suicide Recognition Protocols With The Use Of Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale In An Outpatient Mental Health Practice,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Quality Improvement Project: Enhancing Suicide Recognition Protocols With The Use Of Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale In An Outpatient Mental Health Practice, Pamela Oxley
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Suicide prevention in outpatient mental health settings requires prompt recognition of and an appropriate response to suicide-related concerns, including those initially communicated to administrative staff. Frontline administrative phone staff may first encounter patients expressing suicidal thoughts; however, evidence supports education and standardized processes to facilitate effective recognition and response. At the project site, a practice gap existed in administrative staff preparation and confidence in responding to suicide-related concerns. The quality improvement project addressed this gap through structured, standardized Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) education paired with a standardized suicide-risk stratification and escalation protocol. The project aimed to improve administrative staff …
Quality Improvement Project: Assessing Healthcare Providers’ Confidence, Familiarity, And Implementation Of The Audit-C Screening Tool For Alcohol Use Disorder In Adults With Depression In Primary Care,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Quality Improvement Project: Assessing Healthcare Providers’ Confidence, Familiarity, And Implementation Of The Audit-C Screening Tool For Alcohol Use Disorder In Adults With Depression In Primary Care, Babatunde Thanni Shittu
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
In depressed adults, alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a clinically meaningful comorbidity whose existence may go unnoticed unless a systematically introduced practice of conducting standardized alcohol-use screening is implemented. The current quality improvement (QI) project evaluated the use of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDI-C) in order to improve the capacity of healthcare providers to diagnose co-occurring AUD and integrate standardized screening into healthcare. Guided by the Knowledge-to-Action (KTA) framework and Kotter’s Change Model, the project aimed to improve provider familiarity, confidence, self-efficacy, screening, documentation, and referral practices. A pretest–posttest design was implemented with 13 licensed healthcare providers in …
Quality Improvement Project: Early Screening For Kidney Disease In Primary Care Clinics,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Quality Improvement Project: Early Screening For Kidney Disease In Primary Care Clinics, Binsy Easow
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common complication of diabetes. Evidence-based guidelines recommend urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) screening for early identification of albuminuria in patients with diabetes; however, screening was inconsistently completed in an outpatient primary care clinic. This quality improvement project evaluated the impact of a standardized, provider-focused intervention on UACR screening completion and therapy intensification in patients with microalbuminuria. The Iowa Model served as the evidence-based practice framework, Lewin’s Change Theory provided the theoretical framework for practice change, and the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle guided implementation and evaluation. A quasi-experimental pre- and post-intervention design was used. The intervention was delivered …
The Impact Of Implementing A Discharge Tool On Nurses’ Confidence And Press Ganey Patient Survey Scores In Discharge Planning,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
The Impact Of Implementing A Discharge Tool On Nurses’ Confidence And Press Ganey Patient Survey Scores In Discharge Planning, Cristan Ledbetter
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
A needs assessment at a rural hospital revealed an opportunity for improvement in discharge planning. The purpose and aim of this project was to improve nurses’ confidence in the discharge process and improve Press Ganey survey scores in communication about medicine domain and discharge information domain. Inadequate discharge planning leads to poor patient outcomes, concern for patient safety, increased healthcare costs, and inferior patient satisfaction. The quality improvement (QI) project utilized a one-group pretest/posttest QI design. An evidence-based, standardized discharge tool was implemented. The Susan Grundy confidence scale (C-Scale) was used to evaluate nurses’ confidence in the discharge process pre- …
Enhancing Healthcare Provider Confidence And Accuracy In Performing And Documenting The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Enhancing Healthcare Provider Confidence And Accuracy In Performing And Documenting The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale, Victoria Okoani-Nneji
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Monitoring for medication-related movement disorders is essential for adults with schizophrenia receiving antipsychotic medications; however, inconsistent Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) assessment and documentation can limit timely recognition of abnormal movements. This quality improvement project evaluated a six-week structured AIMS education program designed to improve provider confidence and documentation accuracy in an outpatient behavioral health setting in Central Ohio. Guided by Benner’s Novice-to-Expert Model and Kotter’s Eight-Step Change Model, the project used a one-group pretest-posttest design with 15 licensed behavioral health providers. Weekly sessions included instruction, demonstration, guided practice, case-based learning, scoring, interpretation, and electronic health record (EHR) documentation. Descriptive …
Quality Improvement Project: Determining Impact Of Mental Health Screening Provider Training,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Quality Improvement Project: Determining Impact Of Mental Health Screening Provider Training, Sherri Bennett
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Obesity is frequently associated with mental health concerns, yet these conditions may remain under identified when mental health screening is not consistently incorporated into medical weight-loss care. At the project site, fewer than 2% of patients who are overweight or obese were identified as needing mental health services, demonstrating a practice gap in screening and referral. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate whether targeted mental health screening education improved provider confidence. The aim was to increase confidence in conducting mental health screening among nurse practitioners in a medical weight-loss program. The Stetler Model provided the theoretical …
Integration Of The Kidney Failure Risk Equation To Guide Nephrology Referral In Adults With Chronic Hypertension,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Integration Of The Kidney Failure Risk Equation To Guide Nephrology Referral In Adults With Chronic Hypertension, Shawn A. Siddiqi
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Chronic hypertension is an established risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Baseline chart review at a Texas family practice clinic showed inconsistent renal risk documentation, and providers did not use a standardized renal risk-stratification tool to guide nephrology referral. The aim of this quality improvement project was to implement a standardized Kidney Failure Risk Equation (KFRE) workflow to improve renal risk documentation, nephrology referral decision-making, and provider self-efficacy for adults with chronic hypertension over eight weeks. Lewin's Change Theory guided practice change, the Donabedian model guided quality evaluation, and the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle structured implementation. Three providers (one physician, …
Standardizing Discharge Communication In Urgent Care: A Teach-Back Quality Improvement Initiative,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Standardizing Discharge Communication In Urgent Care: A Teach-Back Quality Improvement Initiative, Pearlean Smith
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Deficits in health literacy and inconsistent discharge education contribute to patient misunderstanding and avoidable return visits. This quality improvement project evaluated a standardized teach-back discharge education process at a community urgent care clinic. Lewin's Change Theory guided the change process, the Iowa Model guided implementation, and Donabedian's Structure-Process-Outcome Framework guided evaluation. A quantitative one-group pretest-posttest design included eight participants: three nurse practitioners, two licensed practical nurses, and three medical assistants. Participants completed a 30-minute teach-back educational session followed by a 12-week implementation period. Measures included the five-item Confidence Scale, discharge audits, and aggregate electronic medical record data on seven-day return …
Quality Improvement Project: Improving Nurse Discharge Competency Through Standardized Education And Discharge Tools In An Inpatient Behavioral Health Hospital,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Quality Improvement Project: Improving Nurse Discharge Competency Through Standardized Education And Discharge Tools In An Inpatient Behavioral Health Hospital, Valina Williams
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Inconsistent discharge education and variable use of structured discharge tools can affect the consistency of transitions from inpatient behavioral health care. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice quality improvement project was to improve nurse discharge competency by implementing standardized discharge education and reinforcing use of a structured discharge tool in a rural inpatient behavioral health hospital. A quantitative, quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was used over 12 weeks with 16 eligible registered and licensed practical nurses. Organizational readiness was assessed at baseline, and nurse self-efficacy was measured before and after implementation. Discharge-tool adherence and 30-day readmissions were also evaluated. …
Quality Improvement Project: Implementing The 2025 Aha Hypertension Guidelines In Rural Primary Care,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Quality Improvement Project: Implementing The 2025 Aha Hypertension Guidelines In Rural Primary Care, Johanna M. Alvarez
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Hypertension contributes to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and delayed adoption of updated guidelines can increase therapeutic inertia in rural primary care. This Doctor of Nursing Practice quality improvement project addressed an evidence-to-practice gap at a rural Federally Qualified Health Center where clinicians used 2017 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology hypertension protocols after release of the 2025 guideline. The purpose was to determine whether structured education and point-of-care visual decision aids improved provider knowledge, attitudes, self-reported practices, and selected clinical adherence metrics over 3 months. Guided by the Iowa Model, Lewin’s Change Management Model, and the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework, a quasi-experimental …
Impacting Provider Knowledge, Attitude, And Practice Care In Adult Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Targeted Educational Interventions,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Impacting Provider Knowledge, Attitude, And Practice Care In Adult Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Targeted Educational Interventions, Aganaba Alabi Anike Grace
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Autism spectrum disorder is often considered a pediatric problem. However, undiagnosed autism among adults causes disproportionate healthcare inequities. Conventional ASD research and clinical training focus on pediatric groups, resulting in underdeveloped adult-oriented care and inadequately prepared providers. The project site reported discrepancies in ASD documentation and lack of knowledge in adult autism. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the impact of targeted educational interventions on provider knowledge, attitude, and practice of adult autism. The Iowa Model guided the translation of evidence into practice, whereas Kotter’s eight-step change model guided implementation. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used among 30 …
Quality Improvement Project: Improving Nurses’ Confidence In Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Assessment Through The I-Decided Framework,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Quality Improvement Project: Improving Nurses’ Confidence In Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Assessment Through The I-Decided Framework, Pepe Sanchez
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) remain a patient safety concern because inappropriate management can increase the risk of catheter-related bloodstream infections, prolonged hospitalization, and increased healthcare costs. A vascular access assessment at an acute care hospital identified inconsistent PIVC assessment practices and inadequate documentation, highlighting the need for a standardized approach to vascular access management. This quality improvement project evaluated the impact of education on the I-DECIDED framework on nurses' confidence in PIVC assessment and clinical decision-making. Guided by the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model and Lewin's Theory of Planned Change, the project used a quantitative, quasi-experimental, one-group pretest-posttest design. …
Determining Impact On Provider Adherence To Current Diabetes Guidelines: A Quality Improvement Project,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
Determining Impact On Provider Adherence To Current Diabetes Guidelines: A Quality Improvement Project, Rashemia Suber
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
The delivery and documentation of evidence-based adult lifestyle counseling for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were found to be inconsistent in a clinic that serves an underserved population. This quality improvement (QI) project assessed whether a provider education program based on the 2025 American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) Diabetes Guidelines would improve provider confidence and documentation of lifestyle recommendations. A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design was guided by both Pender's Health Promotion Model as the theoretical framework and Lewin's Change Theory as the change theory. The Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycle guided this project as the implementation framework. …
The Impact Of Provider Medication Reconciliation Education On Hospital Readmissions In A Skilled Nursing Facility,
2026
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
The Impact Of Provider Medication Reconciliation Education On Hospital Readmissions In A Skilled Nursing Facility, Vivian Nwozu
Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects
Aging causes frailty and multiple comorbidities, necessitating polypharmacy. Complicated drug regimens predispose patients to adverse drug events and hospital readmissions. The practice problem was high rates of medication-related readmissions due to inadequate provider knowledge of medication reconciliation and the lack of a standardized tool. This project aimed at evaluating the impact of provider medication reconciliation education on hospital readmissions in a skilled nursing facility. A pretest-posttest study design was utilized. The Donabedian Model of Healthcare Quality guided the translation of evidence into practice, whereas Lewin’s Change Model and Plan-Do-Study-Act models guided implementation. Eight providers were educated on medication reconciliation using …
