Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

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https://ir.ua.edu/handle/123456789/7250
The DNP is a practice doctorate in nursing which prepares graduates to function at the highest level of nursing practice. The DNP curriculum includes development of a clinical practice project. This “DNP project” is designed to synthesize scholarship in an advanced nursing practice specialty or an area of health care leadership. Practice immersion experiences provide the context within which the project is completed. Students develop the project under the direction of a team, including program faculty, the student, the clinical advisor, the faculty advisor, and alumni mentors.

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Browsing Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects by Author "Barron, Keri"

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    Implementation of a Heart Failure Self-Care Tool for Improved Self-Care and Reduced Hospitalization
    Massey, Nicole; Barron, Keri; Hunter, Monica
    Introduction/Purpose: Heart failure (HF) hospitalizations negatively impact patients with HFand the systems which support them. The purpose of this project was to implement aneducational program and action plan intervention to increase self-care practices, reducehospitalizations, and improve patient outcomes.Methods: HF patients within an outpatient cardiology practice were administered the Self-Careof Heart Failure Index (SCHFI) followed by a brief educational session and introduction of theAmerican Heart Association’s “Self-Check Plan for HF Management Tool”. The SCHFI wasrepeated at a one-month clinic follow-up for repeat assessment of self-care throughadministration of the SCHFI. Hospitalizations were analyzed for reduction as compared to priorto the study period.Results: Pre and post intervention score analysis revealed similar scores for all sub-categoriesexcept for symptom perception which showed a statistically significant improvement in scoresfollowing the intervention (p=0.036). Hospitalization data showed improvement in HF specifichospitalizations during and immediately following the study period.Discussion: Results showed significant improvement in symptom perception following a heartfailure educational intervention and implementation of the SCHFI. Scores for self-caremaintenance, management, and confidence do not show statistically significant improvement.Future research should include larger sample sizes, longer study periods, and alternative studysites.
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    Reducing Readmission using the Re-Engineered Discharge: A Quality Improvement Project—Evaluation and Analysis
    Zeller, Nicole; Barron, Keri; Jennings, Ryan
    Introduction/Purpose: One out of every five patients hospitalized for heart failure (HF)- related complications are readmitted within 30 days of previous admission. Readmission, as a healthcare quality index, provides a metric to investigate strategies to improve HF outcomes. The Re-Engineered Discharge (RED) protocol is a comprehensive transitional care tool created to improve overall patient outcomes and self-efficacy. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the RED protocol’s effect on readmission rates in patients admitted with HF at a small, Midwestern hospital. Methods: This project used a convenience sample of adult patients, ages 18 years or older admitted to the hospital with HF during a 60-day period. All patients (N = 7) who met the sample criteria received the RED transitional care protocol delivered by a trained cardiac care nurse. Following the implementation, the researcher performed a chart audit over 30 days to identify readmission status, collect data, and verify the integrity of RED implementation. Results: The readmission rate was 28.6% among the study group, which was above the hospital’s baseline rate of 25.42% in August. The readmission index was 0.91 in the study group versus the hospital’s overall index (1.07). The findings regarding the secondary data was consistent with the literature results that demonstrated increased HF incidence among older adults (age range, 58 - 91), females (four females versus three males), and increased occurrence in higher socio-economic status persons. The most common secondary diagnoses were hypertension (N = 7), osteoarthritis (N = 4), hyperlipidemia (N = 4), atrial fibrillation (N = 3), and diabetes mellitus (N = 3). The protocol fidelity was 100% for all steps, except for the follow up phone call (78%), validated through self-report and chart audit. Discussion: The project does not statistically support use of the RED protocol as a means of reducing readmission; however, the literature continues to support the individual steps of the protocol. Further study is necessary to validate the protocol. This project sought to inform transitional care guidelines in acute care institutions to improve patient outcomes and reduce readmission.