Date of Conferral
5-14-2024
Date of Award
May 2024
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
Barbara Niedz
Abstract
Excess body weight has been shown to negatively impact morbidity and mortality in both developed and underdeveloped countries. Over two-thirds of U.S. adults are considered overweight or obese. Obesity and overweight present a pressing practice problem in primary care because many of these patients suffer from long-term consequences. Thus, the practice-focused question that guided this project was: Whether a clinical practice guideline (CPG) would be accepted for implementation in a primary care setting. The purpose of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to develop a CPG for use in primary care and present the CPG to a panel of four expert nurse practitioners (NPs) in primary care practice. The project was based on the Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice model and was supported by a comprehensive review of the literature. All four participants strongly agreed with each of the 23 Agree II survey items, resulting in a score of 100% across all six domains. Answering the question about their planned use of the CPG, all four NPs stated that they would use the CPG in their practice. NP1 and NP2 had already implemented the CPG for use in their practices. This DNP project supports positive social change by improving the primary care provider PCPs’ knowledge and participation in obesity and overweight care management in primary care. Patients needing to lose weight to maintain optimal health status are the primary beneficiaries because the CPG fosters weight reduction.
Recommended Citation
Okwara, Nkechi, "Managing Obesity in Primary Care" (2024). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 15620.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/15620
