Date of Conferral

2-6-2026

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Marilyn Losty

Abstract

Mental health conditions affect 59 million individuals annually in the United States, translating to one in every four adults. Given this, mental health has emerged as a critical component of an individual’s overall health and well-being, with nurses being pivotal in identifying and addressing mental health concerns. However, research indicates that nurses often lack the knowledge and awareness to conduct mental health assessments. Thus, the purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to determine if an educational intervention focused on mental health assessments increased knowledge and awareness among nurses working in a local organization. A total of 15 individuals participated in the educational intervention. The average age of participants was 47.87 years (SD = 11.10) with 86% (n = 13) identified as female. The mean pretest score for knowledge was 9.13 (SD = 0.74) and the mean posttest score was 9.40 (SD = 0.51). Using a Wilcoxon signed rank test to estimate the data, there was not a statistically significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores for knowledge (z = -1.41, p > .05). However, a Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed a statistical difference between pretest and posttest scores among all three content areas for awareness, indicating an increase in awareness among the participants. Although findings for knowledge were not statistically significant, the project demonstrated clinical significance as the scores demonstrated that the educational intervention served as a review for the participants. The implementation of this educational intervention reflects the commitment to improving patient care by translating knowledge and awareness into practice, thereby enhancing patient, provider, and organizational outcomes and fostering positive social change within the organization and beyond.

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