Date of Conferral
8-7-2026
Date of Award
August 2026
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
Jill Sanko
Abstract
Seclusion remains a restrictive intervention used in inpatient psychiatric settings despite evidence linking it to psychological trauma, physical harm, and adverse patient outcomes. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) staff education project evaluated the effectiveness of a trauma-informed care and de-escalation education program in improving nurses' confidence in managing patient escalation. The project used a pre- and post-intervention quality improvement design with 24 inpatient psychiatric nurses. Participants completed a 10-item, 5-point Likert-scale confidence survey before and after a 30-minute educational session delivered via PowerPoint. Descriptive statistics were used to compare pre- and post-intervention confidence scores. Mean confidence scores increased from 4.2 before the intervention to 4.7 after the intervention, with improvements also observed in the median and range of responses, indicating greater consistency in staff confidence following the education. The findings suggest that trauma-informed care education is an effective strategy for enhancing nurses' confidence in recognizing patient escalation, applying de-escalation techniques, and implementing early intervention strategies. Recommendations include expanding the program to additional psychiatric units, incorporating ongoing refresher training, and evaluating long-term outcomes using objective measures such as seclusion rates. This project supports evidence-based nursing practice by promoting safer, patient-centered, trauma-informed care while advancing quality improvement, patient safety, and equitable mental health care.
Recommended Citation
Nkala, Amaka, "Reducing Seclusion in Inpatient Psychiatric Units Through Staff Education" (2026). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 20538.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/20538
