Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects
Access Control
Open Access
Embargo Period
5-30-2013
Degree Program
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Degree Track
Family Nurse Practioner
Year Degree Awarded
2013
Month Degree Awarded
May
Advisor
Jean DeMartinis
DNP Project Chair
Jean DeMartinis
DNP Project Member Name
Sharon Mills-Wisneski
DNP Project Outside Member Name
Vivian Wilson
Abstract
Diabetes is a major health problem in the United States. Individuals with diabetes are at greater risk of developing other health problems such as heart or kidney disease. African Americans are at 1.8 times greater risk of developing diabetes, and they suffer more severe consequences and complications from the disease. One major reason for poor outcomes in African Americans with diabetes is a lack of knowledge and understanding of the disease process and sequelae of diabetes. This DNP scholarly project focused on implementing a culturally sensitive diabetes education program in the hope of improving glycemic control among participants. The project was implemented in a rural clinic outside of Oklahoma City. Prior to implementation of the project, all healthcare providers and their staff were informed about the program and asked to refer their patients to it. The DNP scholarly project occurred over a five-week period, and each session lasted from 1–3 hours depending upon the depth of the information covered as well as the participation level. In the first week, the sessions were accomplished on a one-to-one basis in an effort to establish a personal connection with participants and to build rapport with them. Those individuals who returned for more than one session experienced an improvement in their HgA1c at the completion of the DNP scholarly project: One participant had a 2 point decrease while the other return participant had a .2 decrease. All participants had an increase of 40–50% of their pre- and post-test scores.
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