Abstract

Purpose

The project aimed to evaluate nursing satisfaction after implementing a standardized chemotherapy patient education program. The project tracked patient satisfaction scores on the Press Ganey® survey to identify changes.

Rationale/Background

Patients receiving chemotherapy for the first time have significant educational needs. Nurses are concerned about their patients because of the complexity of chemotherapy treatment and potential for complications related to inadequately managed side effects. There is limited information available to guide nurses on best approaches to prepare clients for chemotherapy.

Theoretical framework

This project was conducted using a Plan, Do, Study, Act approach under the modern change theory.

Methodology Over 70% of the staff nurses attended a live accredited nursing education session aimed at standardizing the education process. The project leader examined 35 pre- and 33 post-implementation four point Likert surveys completed by chemotherapy-certified registered nurses. Results were analyzed using the Mann Whitney U test. Press Ganey® scores were assessed for changes at 6 months post-implementation

Outcomes Achieved

The analysis of the surveys indicated statistically significant improvement in “the chemotherapy education process is consistent and standardized” (p = 0.04), and “my job satisfaction is positively affected by the current chemotherapy education process” (p = 0.05). A small improvement occurred in Press Ganey® scores.

Conclusions

This project provides an example of the positive effects on nursing when a health care institution prioritizes consistent and standardized patient education. Patient satisfaction may further improve with additional interventions.

Language

English

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Level of Degree

Doctoral

First Advisor

Dr. Melissa Cole, DNP, MSW, RN-BC, NEA-BC, FACHE

First Committee Member

Dr. Kristen M. Ostrem-Niemcewicz DNP, MSN, CNM, FNP-BC, FACNM

Second Committee Member

Dr. Rachael Frija, DNP, RN, NPD-BC

Keywords

Chemotherapy education, nursing satisfaction, oncology nursing

Included in

Nursing Commons

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