Date of Conferral

8-12-2026

Date of Award

August 2026

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Jill Sanko

Abstract

This project addressed the persistent challenge of bipolar disorder misdiagnosis in an outpatient mental health clinic. Misdiagnosis mostly occurs when bipolar disorder is mistaken for major depressive disorder, resulting in delays in treatment, inappropriate medication administration, worsening symptoms, and poorer patient outcomes. The Rapid Mood Screener (RMS) is a validated six-item screening tool that was developed to improve the identification of bipolar disorder and support diagnostic accuracy. The practice-focused question was, Among outpatient mental health clinicians and nursing staff, will an educational intervention on the use of the RMS improve their knowledge and self-efficacy compared to pre-education levels over a six-week period? The aim was to improve bipolar screening in the outpatient psychiatric clinic. Participants included six mental health providers and one social worker working at the project site. Preintervention assessment showed limited knowledge and self-efficacy regarding the use of the RMS. Postinterventional survey showed that provider knowledge and self-efficacy improved from an overall mean of 2.43 (SD = 0.29) to 4.62 (SD = 0.11), indicating substantially greater agreement and confidence in using the RMS tool. Recommendations include the incorporation of the tool into staff orientation programs and integration into routine clinical workflows. This project’s implications for nursing practice lie in its insights on how to improve diagnostic accuracy and evidence-based assessments. The project also has implications for positive social change as the introduction of standardized screening practices may decrease the risk of misdiagnosis, improve patient outcomes, and decrease health disparities.

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