Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Joanne J. Minnick

Abstract

As of 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has instituted monetary penalties for institutions with excess readmissions. As a result of these initiatives, hospitals are investing resources and efforts to educate their staff to use tools aimed at reducing readmission rates. The LACE index tool is one metric used to identify patients at high risk for readmission. The practice-focused question addressed in this project was whether the use of a teaching module is effective at improving clinical staff knowledge on the LACE index. The purpose of the project was to develop a teaching module to educate advanced practice nurses on the use of the LACE tool in clinical settings. The plan-do-study-act cycle methodologies guided this project. The educational content of the module was derived from an extensive literature review of peer-reviewed articles obtained from databases including CINAHL, EBSCO, PubMed, Walden University library, and Medline. The content of the teaching module consisted of a PowerPoint presentation with case scenarios. Pretests and posttests were used as measurement to assess the participants’ knowledge. the scores were analyzed using descriptive statistics to evaluate whether an increase in knowledge occurred. Pretest scores ranged from 84% to 100% while the posttest score ranged from 92% to 100%. The findings indicated no significant difference between the pretest and posttest suggesting no change in staff knowledge. Recommendation for future project is to use the module with an audience with no prior knowledge of the LACE tool to better assess its effectiveness. This project has the potential to effect positive social change by reducing readmission rate and minimize healthcare cost.

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