Date of Conferral
8-11-2026
Date of Award
August 2026
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
Letha Thomas
Abstract
Inconsistent delivery and documentation of chronic pain patient education may contribute to variations in patient knowledge, treatment expectations, and engagement in self-management. This Doctor of Nursing Practice staff education and quality improvement project was designed to standardize chronic pain patient education in a primary care setting. The practice-focused question examined whether implementing standardized chronic pain education, compared with non-standardized education, would improve patient knowledge and use of self-management strategies over 10 weeks. Guided by the Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice Model, the project included development of evidence-based education materials, staff preparation, workflow integration, and a standardized documentation process. Clinic staff identified eligible adults with chronic neck and/or back pain, delivered the education during routine clinical encounters, administered anonymous pre- and post-education questionnaires, and documented education completion. The DNP student’s role was limited to leadership, staff education, quality improvement planning, implementation support, and analysis of deidentified aggregate data; the DNP student did not interact with patients or collect patient-level data. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate outcomes for 30 participants. Mean chronic pain knowledge scores increased from 3.13 to 6.60 out of 8 and mean self-management confidence scores increased from 1.50 to 4.30 out of 5. Standardized education completion increased from 0% to 100%, documentation compliance improved from 41% to 100%, and staff adherence to the standardized education process reached 100%. Findings suggest that a structured staff education intervention can improve the consistency of chronic pain education, strengthen documentation practices, and support patient knowledge and confidence in self-management. Continued use of the education materials, periodic staff reinforcement, documentation audits, and evaluation of longer-term outcomes are recommended to sustain the practice change.
Recommended Citation
Okpara, Jessica, "Staff Education to Standardize Chronic Pain Patient Education in Primary Care" (2026). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 20611.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/20611
