Executive Summary: Staff Education Project
The Summary section must be no longer than one page double spaced. The full
Executive Summary document should be no longer than 10 pages, double spaced.
Throughout the narrative, use American Psychological Association (APA) format when it
is necessary to cite sources, following the guidelines in Chapter 8 of the Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) and/or the APA citations
webpage on the Walden Doctoral Capstone Form and Style website.
In this section, indicate the type of project. Describe the practice problem and
why it is important to address within the context of nursing practice. Summarize the
practice-focused question(s) and the purpose for the doctoral project. Describe the
analytical strategies used in the doctoral project. Concisely summarize the findings and
implications. Concisely identify major products, conclusions, and/or recommendations as
appropriate. Summarize potential implications for nursing practice and for positive social
change, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Executive Summary: Staff Education Project
Background
This project is a staff education and quality improvement initiative aimed at
addressing the issue of psychotropic medication noncompliance within a psychiatric
hospital setting. The quality issue was identified through a combination of direct
observations and discussions with both patients and nursing staff members. During my
interactions within the project site, I observed a notable gap in practice surrounding
psychotropic medication noncompliance. Patients frequently cited adverse side effects as
a critical reason for nonadherence, with issues like weight gain and daytime drowsiness
topping the list. Many patients openly expressed their concerns about medication
Executive Summary: Staff Education Project
regimens, leading to self-reported noncompliance. Additionally, during medication
administration, nurses reported observing behaviors such as cheeking medications and
sharing pills among patients, further contributing to the problem. Furthermore,
discussions with nursing staff revealed that they may lack the necessary knowledge about
strategies to teach patients self-care management, hindering efforts to improve
medication adherence. Recognizing the importance of addressing this gap to ensure
comprehensive and effective patient care, this project seeks to implement interventions to
enhance nursing staff's knowledge and skills in promoting medication adherence among
psychiatric patients. The project's primary aim is to empower nursing staff by increasing
their knowledge about the factors contributing to patients' nonadherence to prescribed
psychotropic agents. This knowledge, coupled with using the NA MA scale, will enable APA