Date of Conferral
8-7-2026
Date of Award
August 2026
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
Margaret Harvey
Abstract
This doctoral project is a staff education project aimed at enhancing recognition and communication of early changes in patients' conditions in a long-term care rehabilitation environment. Delayed recognition of patient deterioration is a major challenge in nursing practice, as subtle changes in a patient's condition may go unnoticed, leading to delayed intervention, avoidable complications, and unnecessary hospital transfers. Poor communication among staff can also hinder the escalation of care, impacting patient safety and quality of care. There is evidence that structured communication strategies and education interventions can help enhance communication between clinicians and aid earlier detection of patient deterioration. Resolving these practice gaps is crucial to enhancing nursing practice and patient outcomes, and, more generally, to ensuring safer care in long-term care rehabilitation services. The guiding PICOT question for this project is: Among nursing staff in a long-term care rehabilitation facility (P), will a structured staff education program on recognizing and communicating early patient condition changes (I), compared with current practice without structured education (C), improve nurses' knowledge and communication practices (O) within 4 weeks (T)? Analytical strategies include anonymous pre- and post-intervention testing, confidence questionnaires, and descriptions of changes in knowledge and communication practices. The educational intervention improved participants' average knowledge scores from 68% to 91%, communication confidence from 64% to 89%, and correct use of the SBAR communication framework from 61% to 88%, demonstrating that the project successfully strengthened nursing knowledge and communication practices. The project provides for continued staff education, encourages evidence-based nursing practice, and supports positive social transformation to increase equitable access to quality care and improve patient safety across various populations.
Recommended Citation
Mwanje, Raymond, "Improving Recognition and Communication of Early Patient Condition Changes Through an Evidence-Based Staff Education Program" (2026). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 20550.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/20550
