Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects
Access Control
Open Access
Degree Program
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Degree Track
Family Nurse Practioner
Year Degree Awarded
2021
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/22355519
Month Degree Awarded
May
Keywords
cardiac rehab, cardiac rehabilitation, secondary prevention programs, referral
Advisor
Terrie Black
Abstract
Background: Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. It is responsible for serious cardiac events that can be fatal. When a patient experiences one cardiac event, they are more likely to have a second event. Therefore, secondary prevention programs such as cardiac rehabilitation (CR) have been proven to reduce mortality in these patients and enhance quality of life; however, they are severely underutilized. Purpose: The purpose of this integrative review and DNP project was to educate outpatient providers about the immense value of cardiac rehabilitation to eligible patients and develop a toolkit targeted to help providers recognize eligible patients, educate them and expedite enrollment. Methods: An educational intervention was virtually presented with a pre- and post-survey completed by 9 staff members of an outpatient cardiology office. Feedback was collected to determine efficacy of the presentation, change in provider perceptions, and the utility of the toolkit. Data was input into Excel and SPSS to determine statistical significance and organization of feedback. Results: By using the Health Belief Model as a framework, the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test determined that there was statistically significant (p=0.026) increase in perceived seriousness, susceptibility, and benefit after the educational intervention indicating that participants’ attitudes and beliefs about the importance of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and can be affected with education, leading to the increased interest in improving referral rates for eligible patients. Conclusion: This project should serve as a tool to continue to educate outpatient providers of the value of CR, while the toolkit may be utilized to expedite enrollment and help reach national goals of increasing cardiac rehabilitation participation to 70%.
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