Date of this Version

7-28-2023

Document Type

DNP Project

Abstract

Background: Serious mental illness (SMI) among veterans represents a significant threat to individual and public health. Unfortunately, many mental health providers lack knowledge on the effective treatment of SMI, leading to potential gaps in patient care. Purpose/Methods: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase provider knowledge of care practices for patients with SMI. Using a single site, quasi-experimental, pre- /post-intervention framework, provider knowledge of SMI and its treatment were assessed before and following an educational module. Comparison of pre- and post-intervention knowledge scores was undertaken in an effort to determine if changes in scores were statistically significant. Results: A total of 10 providers at the practice site agreed to participate in the project including n = 6 females and n = 9 advanced practice nurses. Mean pre-test scores were 47% (SD = 4.33) and mean post-test scores were 92% (SD = 2.39). A Mann-Whitney U-test performed did indicate that the results were statistically significant. z = -6.33, p < .000, n = 10, based on an alpha of .05. Conclusion: The results suggest that provider education at the practice site was correlated with knowledge gains that are statistically significant. Although the results suggest promising results for the educational program to increase provider knowledge of the treatment of SMI among veterans, the use of a single site and small sample limit the generalizability of the findings and indicate that further assessment of the educational intervention would be needed.

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