Date of Conferral

5-23-2025

Date of Award

May 2025

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Melanie Braswell

Abstract

This doctoral project was a staff education project aimed at addressing the lack of structured stress management training in behavioral health settings. The project focused on enhancing clinical staff knowledge of deep breathing techniques, a cost-effective, evidence-based intervention to reduce stress and anxiety in patients. The practice problem was significant, as indicated by an internal review of 50 patient charts at the clinical site, which revealed that only 12% of patients used clinician-guided deep breathing. This highlighted the urgent need for structured staff education to improve patient care outcomes. The project question was the following: Will a staff education program designed to instruct behavioral clinic staff on how to teach deep breathing techniques to patients increase their knowledge? The purpose of the project was to equip staff with the knowledge and skills necessary to implement deep breathing techniques in patient care. Analytical strategies using Excel included a pretest-posttest design (15-question multiple choice) in which data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a paired t test to determine the intervention’s effectiveness. Findings indicated a sizeable increase in staff knowledge, with a posttest score increase on average of 40 percentage points, and the statistical analysis confirmed the intervention’s effectiveness (p < .05). The project has implications for nursing practice by promoting evidence-based stress management in a behavioral health clinic. The project may contribute to positive social change by enhancing patient care across lifespan; supporting accessible, nonpharmacologic interventions; and fostering a more knowledgeable workforce. Recommendations include adopting this intervention across similar settings to improve patient outcomes.

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