Date of Conferral

2-25-2025

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Mark Wells

Abstract

The purpose of this DNP project was to evaluate whether a staff education program could measurably improve healthcare professionals' knowledge of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression screening at the practicum site. Depression remains underdiagnosed in primary care, largely due to inconsistent use of standardized tools like the PHQ-9, which is essential for timely diagnosis and treatment. This project addressed this gap by educating healthcare staff on the administration, scoring, and integration of the PHQ-9 into patient care, thereby enhancing their confidence and competence in its consistent application. The practice-focused question was the following: For healthcare staff at an outpatient mental health center, does implementing education on the PHQ-9 tool increase staff knowledge on consistent use of the PHQ-9 tool for the identification and management of depression compared to current practices? The project entailed using descriptive statistics to summarize the data and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to assess the statistical significance of changes in staff knowledge and confidence levels before and after the intervention. Pretest results showed an average score of 6.05 out of 15 (40.33%), indicating significant gaps in understanding of the PHQ-9. Posttest scores increased to an average of 13.65 out of 15 (91%). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed a statistically significant difference (W = 0, p < 0.01). Participants also expressed a greater appreciation for the importance of standardized mental health screenings with staff demonstrating a strong commitment to integrating the PHQ-9 into routine workflows. These findings underscore the program's success in bridging critical knowledge gaps and enhancing evidence-based practices.

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