Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Dorothy Hawthorne-Burdine

Abstract

Exercise benefits patients with cancer during and after treatments. A formalized educational program is lacking at the project's site for oncology nurses on the benefits of exercise for their patients during and after treatment. The purpose of the project was to address the identified gap in practice at the project's site by providing education to oncology nurses on the benefits of exercise for their patients during and after treatment. The ARCS model of motivational design was used as a theoretical foundation to develop and guide the educational program presented to the oncology nurses. The question addressed in the project was: Will oncology nurses show an improvement in their knowledge on the benefits of exercise for patients during and after cancer treatments when comparatively measured pre-education and immediately post-education? The nature of this project was quality improvement with a pre-posttest approach. A total of 14 female registered nurses routinely employed in the oncology department (M age = 36.7 years, SD = 12.0) took part in the project. Their knowledge level was tested before and after the intervention using an assessment tool developed for the project. Data analysis from the paired sample t test using the IBM SPSS version 24 showed a significant improvement in the nurses' knowledge at posttest (M = 6.86, SD = 1.027) compared to pretest (M = 8.36, SD = 1.447); t (13) = 4.0070, p = .001. The findings suggest the intervention was effective in improving nursing knowledge regarding the benefits of exercise in patients undergoing cancer treatment. The implication for positive social change is that incorporation of staff education regarding exercise in oncology patients can improve nursing knowledge that can then promote positive patient outcomes.

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