Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Diane Whitehead

Abstract

Abstract Osteoporosis affects 25 million people in the United States causing over 1.5 million fractures every year. The gap in practice at a rural southeast orthopedic clinic was a lack of patient education on prevention and self-care management of osteoporosis and osteopenia. The purpose of the project was to develop a program to educate clinic providers on prevention and self-care management for osteoporosis and osteopenia. The Knowles theory of adult learning framed the project components. A 10-question pretest/posttest assessing knowledge was administered to 10 registered nurse participants. For the presurvey, five participants demonstrated a lack of knowledge of medication administration and the need for consulting with an endocrinologist. All participants responded correctly to the 10 posttest questions. All participants (N = 10) completed the program evaluation results using a Likert scale (rated 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). No participants disagreed to any of the items; 80%–100% agreed or strongly agreed that all 9 learning objectives were met. Participants were given an education handout to use as a guide for assessing and treating patients at risk for osteopenia or osteoporosis. The importance of using the guidelines in the handout to assess and treat at-risk patients was shared with clinic administration. Clinic providers can promote patient self-care behaviors that promote bone health through patient education on osteoporosis and osteopenia. Positive social change for patients and families can occur through prevention and management of these diseases.

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