Date of Conferral
5-22-2025
Date of Award
May 2025
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
Deborah Lewis
Abstract
This DNP project aimed to address the lack of staff knowledge regarding medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia to better support these patients and to address a critical organizational knowledge gap. Schizophrenia is a chronic illness that impacts quality of life and medication noncompliance, often causing relapses and hospitalization. Evidence has shown that medication compliance improves symptoms, reduces hospital visits, and leads to better overall disease outcomes. A review on the project site indicated a wide knowledge deficit for the staff on interventions to enhance compliance to medication regimens by schizophrenia patients. It is an important issue to address in nursing practice, as educating staff ensures patient’s medication compliance, which could improve their health outcome and reduce cost of care. To analyze the effectiveness of the implementation, a pre- and post-intervention knowledge assessment was used. Sixteen staff who have direct care experience with patients with schizophrenia participated. The mean scores from these assessments were analyzed and compared using paired t tests, which revealed improved posttest scores (μ = 84.4) compared to pretest (�� = 64.4), indicating enhanced staff knowledge of medication adherence and patient-family communication following education. Evidence-based education enhances staff competency, and recommendations include integrating consistent training sessions to ensure improved patient outcomes. Enhanced staff knowledge reduces stigma, supports social change, and promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in nursing practice.
Recommended Citation
Okojie, SONIA Obehi, "Staff Education on Importance of Medication Adherence for Patients Living with Schizophrenia" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 17490.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/17490
