Date of Conferral

8-28-2025

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Mattie Burton

Abstract

This doctoral project was an educational intervention to improve depression screening in a health clinic through standardized training using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The targeted practice issue was the variable use of the PHQ-9 which led to possible misdiagnosis or underdiagnosis of depression, a critically vital issue in nursing practice owing to the necessity of frontline mental status evaluation by nursing staff. The practice focused question was, for staff in a mental health clinic, will training on the use of the PHQ-9 tool increase knowledge toward the goal of improving the identification of depression among clients? Hence, the overall purpose was to enhance clinical competence for diagnostic accuracy and thus provide earlier treatment for patients with depression. Project evaluation consisted of knowledge-based questionnaires administered pre- and posttraining, which were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics. The pre-and post-results indicated an improvement in knowledge with scores increasing from 50% in the pretest to 90% in the posttest, an increase of 40%. The project has implications for the organization as leadership plans to use this training in the future and currently as the first part of a greater quality improvement process. The project has meaningful implications for nursing practice, as greater knowledge of the PHQ-9 can improve patient care quality for patients at risk for depression. The project may promote positive social change because it endorses equitable access to mental health care, the reduction of diagnostic inequities, and enhanced practice among nurses by providing opportunities to enable all patients to receive fair and impartial mental health screening that is culturally relevant.

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