Date of Conferral

1-28-2026

Date of Award

January 2026

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Anna Hubbard

Abstract

This Doctor of Nursing Practice project was a practice-focused quality improvement staff education initiative designed to address a gap in nurses’ knowledge related to chronic pain management in patients with mental health disorders. Chronic pain frequently coexists with psychiatric conditions, yet nurses often lack formal education on biopsychosocial, trauma-informed, and non-pharmacologic pain management approaches, contributing to fragmented and inequitable care. Addressing this gap is essential to improving patient outcomes and advancing evidence-based nursing practice. The practice-focused question asked whether implementing a targeted nurse education program would improve nurses’ knowledge related to chronic pain management in patients with mental health disorders. The purpose of the project was to enhance foundational nursing knowledge through a structured PowerPoint-based educational intervention. Analytical strategies included descriptive analysis of pre- and postintervention survey data using a 5-point Likert scale to evaluate changes in knowledge. The project included 16 registered nurses. Findings demonstrated meaningful improvements in knowledge across all domains, with mean overall scores increasing from 2.73 pre-intervention to 4.38 postintervention, representing a 60.4% improvement. Major products included an evidence-based educational presentation and a standardized evaluation tool. Conclusions support sustaining nurse education initiatives to promote holistic, trauma-informed care, with implications for improved nursing practice and positive social change through equitable, inclusive, and stigma-reducing care for vulnerable populations.

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