Date of Conferral

11-5-2025

Date of Award

November 2025

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Laurie Wetsel

Abstract

The doctoral project was a staff education initiative to address underutilization of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) lung cancer screening among Medicare-eligible patients at the project site. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, and LDCT screening reduces mortality by up to 20%. Internal data from the project site revealed that only 20.13% of eligible patients completed screening, underscoring the need for structured staff education to improve knowledge and support early detection. The practice focused question asked: Will a staff education on Medicare LDCT screening and processes increase staff knowledge towards the ultimate goal of increasing LDCT screening rates? The project was aimed at preparing staff to identify eligible patients, conduct shared decision-making, and accurately order and document LDCT screenings in the electronic medical record (EMR). I used a pre-/posttest design with descriptive and inferential statistics to evaluate the intervention. Participant mean pretest scores were 76.1%, and they increased to 96.5% after the staff education, a 20.4 percentage point suggesting a knowledge gain. Ten of 13 questions achieved 100% accuracy posttest. A paired t test confirmed statistically significant results (t(12) =5.78, p < .001). The effect size was large (Cohen’s d = 1.60), and the 95% confidence interval (12.7%-28.1%) confirmed knowledge gains. This project demonstrates that brief education improves staff knowledge of LDCT screening and processes. My recommendations include broadening the education to other medical offices within the organization. The project’s implications for nursing practice include strengthening evidence-based preventive care, improving access to screening, and promoting health equity and early detection to reduce lung cancer mortality

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