Date of Conferral

11-13-2024

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Corinne Romano

Abstract

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are health care interventions used for best care outcomes. With this CPG project, I addressed a practice gap regarding the lack of a systematic approach to patient appointment reminders that resulted in disruption to patient health maintenance in an outpatient community clinic setting. Community and population health are improved with preventative care, wellness, and appropriate health maintenance measures. The practice-focused question central to this CPG was: Will a guideline on patient reminders designed to reduce the frequency of missed appointments in a clinic setting, be approved by a panel of clinical experts for future implementation? The purpose of the project was the development and approval of an evidence-based process that optimizes care delivery. Analytical strategies used included identifying incomplete demographic information. In the project, I considered methods of contact, frequency of reminders, language, culture, and care access for prioritizing patient reminders. The approach was consistent with existing evidence on appointment reminder systems that resulted in improved health care outcomes. Major components included a policy for a workflow creation that achieved consistency of contact and delivery for patient reminders. Five expert panelists used the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) tool to evaluate the CPG. The project culminated in recommendations by the expert panelist endorsing the CPG for facility use. The overall guideline assessment score was a 6.6 out of a maximum of 7. The nursing implications for positive social changes are significant for proactive community health promotion, awareness, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

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