Date of Conferral
8-12-2024
Date of Award
August 2024
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
DEBORAH LEWIS
Abstract
Depression is a common mental health issue that has a substantial impact on people’s well-being and healthcare results. While there is ample evidence of depression’s harmful impact, the difficulty of accurate diagnosis remains. Inadequate screening of depression in primary health clinics results in treatment delays. The PHQ-9 is a tool to diagnose depression, however many clinicians are unfamiliar with its use. As a result, individuals susceptible to depression may not receive timely appropriate management, leading to poor health outcomes and higher healthcare utilization. This practice focused project aimed to understand if staff education would improve healthcare providers’ knowledge regarding use of PHQ-9 assessment tool. The project was guided by the Iowa model of evidence-based practice. Sources of evidence included a comprehensive literature review. Twelve healthcare providers participated in the education. Pre and post-test scores were used to identify a change in knowledge. Following educational intervention, a change in score was noted the pre intervention knowledge score of 33.33% was improved to 92.22%. Improved knowledge among health care providers can result in improved depression screening resulting in timely identification and early treatment of depression. Early identification of depression can support social change by supporting recovery rates, and lowering the frequency of depression-related complications, decreasing financial burden for patients and healthcare organizations, helping with equitable resource distribution, improving social participation and functionality and lessening the load on social services.
Recommended Citation
Nguh, Priscilia, "Staff Education to Enhance Healthcare Providers' Use of the PHQ-9 Assessment tool" (2024). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 16163.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/16163
