Date of Conferral

9-30-2025

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Dr. Mary Martin

Abstract

The PHQ-9 and the GAD-7 are short screening instruments used for the detection of depression and anxiety symptoms in various settings, including general and mental health care settings (Pranckeviciene, et al., 2022). The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to educate staff on the implementation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) into an adult psychiatric private practice to standardize screening, improve diagnostic accuracy, and support measurement-based care for depression and anxiety. A structured staff education program was conducted with five nurse practitioners, one psychiatrist, two therapists, and two front-end administrative staff. The post-test results demonstrated the following: Clinical staff showed enhanced proficiency in accurately scoring and interpreting results, therapists and nurse practitioners reported increased confidence in using these measures to guide diagnostic clarity and monitor symptom changes over time, and front-end staff demonstrated improved understanding of the rationale for screening, leading to greater accuracy in administering forms and entering data into the electronic health record. The project demonstrated that staff education about the implementation of PHQ-9 and GAD-7 will result in significant improvements in clinical outcomes, patient engagement, and documentation quality. This will support the broader integration strategy of delivering evidence-based care. The implementation of the screening tool will standardize the assessment of depression and anxiety across providers, ensure consistency in diagnosis and follow-up, thereby enhancing early detection and timely intervention, which improves patient outcomes.

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