Date of Conferral

2-18-2026

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Camilla Jaekel

Abstract

This Doctoral of Nursing Practice (DNP) project focused on improving provider knowledge in addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) that contribute to medication nonadherence. There is a gap in provider knowledge in addressing SDOH-related barriers that contributes to poor health outcomes. Increasing provider awareness of SDOH improves patient outcomes. The practice-focused question guiding this doctoral project asked whether an educational module on SDOH improved provider knowledge in addressing SDOH-related barriers to medication adherence among adult patients with chronic illnesses. The program consisted of a pretest, an educational module delivered via a PowerPoint presentation, and a posttest. A total of 20 providers from outpatient primary and specialty clinics at one southeastern hospital participated in the project. Descriptive statistics were used to compare pre- and post-education scores. Nineteen participants improved their scores by over 20 percentage points, and one participant improved their score by 14.4 percentage points. The project concluded that targeted provider education is an effective strategy to improve provider knowledge in addressing SDOH-related barriers to improve medication adherence. It is recommended that the organization incorporate the educational module into ongoing staff training, standardize SDOH screening practices, and strengthen referral pathways to support sustainable, equitable patient care. The project promotes health equity by reducing barriers that disproportionately affect underserved and marginalized populations. The educational intervention supports addressing SDOH to contribute to more equitable health outcomes across the populations served.

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