Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects
Access Control
Campus Access
Embargo Period
4-28-2017
Degree Program
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Degree Track
Public Health Nurse Leader
Year Degree Awarded
2017
Month Degree Awarded
May
Keywords
colorectal, cancer, African Americans
Advisor
Anna Paskausky
DNP Project Chair
Anna Paskausky
DNP Project Member Name
Pamela Aselton
Abstract
Background: According to the Center for Disease Control (2014), colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed and die from this form of cancer than any other racial group.
Methods: This quality improvement project focused on educating providers on the importance of recommending colorectal cancer screening for African Americans staring at 45 years of age. A group of seven health care providers who provide health care services to active duty soldiers, dependents, retirees, and government employees were exposed to an educational session based on a toolkit developed by the American College of Gastroenterology. A repeated measure (paired t-test) determined if differences in knowledge after exposure to the educational toolkit were significant from pre-test scores.
Results: Based on a 100 percent point scale, participants scored an average of 49% before exposure to the training and an average of 86% after attending the training session. A repeated measure t-test determined that the 37% increase between pre-tests and post-test scores was statistically significant (t=13.0, p=.0001). Participants strongly agreed that the training was useful for increasing knowledge of evidence-based CRC screening recommendations in African Americans.
Conclusion: The training session were effective in increasing the knowledge of colorectal cancer screening for African Americans. Post-test findings suggest that the session met the goal of increasing awareness of early colorectal cancer detection for African-Americans. This quality improvement project can serve as a foundation for increasing provider awareness and knowledge of colorectal cancer screening in African Americans age 45-49 in other clinical settings.
Key Words: Colon Cancer, Screening, African America
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