Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Diane Whitehead

Abstract

AbstractIneffective communication and behavioral management skills are quality and safety issues that were identified at a local adult day care facility in the Southwest United States. Administrators at the facility identified a knowledge gap in communication and behavior management techniques for patients with cognitive impairment. An educational program, with a PowerPoint presentation and verbal feedback as key components, was developed and used to address the identified gap in practice related to individuals with cognitive impairments at the facility. The adult learning theory and the plan-do-study-act model provided supportive frameworks for program development and staff education. The project question explored whether a staff education program would improve staff knowledge and confidence in behavioral management skills for patients at the adult day care facility. The educational program content was evaluated by three experts with over 20 years of experience working with cognitively impaired patients. Program content was found to be applicable and informative for the adult day care staff. Participation in this project was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic requirements. The PowerPoint was presented to two participants via the Zoom video conferencing platform. Pre and post survey results completed by the participants had ratings of 5 (excellent) for all items for both pre and post surveys. Although staff participation was limited, the project has the potential to promote social change through an increase in staff knowledge, prompting more effective communication among staff and patients, and thus improving patient outcomes at a local adult day care center.

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