Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Robert McWhirt

Abstract

AbstractThe purpose of this project was to address the lack of knowledge of nurses in recognizing extrapyramidal symptoms during the early stages of clinical presentation in patients taking antipsychotic medication. Nursing staff need to be properly training to be effective. Maslow's hierarchy of human needs informed this project. The primary goal of this project was to identify if an instructional seminar regarding EPS symptoms and management would increase the knowledge of the nursing staff. The project had a sample size of 7 and the criteria for inclusion included licensed professional nurses working in the clinical setting of mental health. The 12 pre and posttest questions identified the change in knowledge and whether the project goal was met. The average pretest score was 57.14, while the average posttest score was 86.42. Using percentage comparisons, the results demonstrated a 29.28 percentage overall increase in knowledge and demonstrated the educational initiative was successful in improving nurse's knowledge relative to early recognition of EPS symptoms. The following recommendations were provided to the organization to improve the nurses experience with care of patients taking antipsychotic medications. It is important to train nurses on monitoring for frequent onset of EPS and for strategies to manage the impact of antipsychotic medications. It is also important to include content regarding discontinuation of causative agents for EPS and the essential responsibilities and roles of offering therapeutic services for their patients. The project has the potential to impact positive social change by supporting the value of additional personnel training to mitigate the side effects of these antipsychotics.

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