Defense Date

4-16-2024

Graduation Date

Spring 5-11-2024

Submission Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program

School

School of Nursing

Faculty Mentor

Laura Crimm

Keywords

colorectal cancer screening, screening colonoscopy, colorectal cancer screening rates, colorectal cancer screening tools

Abstract

Background and Significance: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths (Jain, et al., 2022). Healthy People 2030 objectives include reducing the CRC death rate and increasing the proportion of adults who get screened (Healthy People 2030, n.d.). According to 2021 data, only 58.7% of adults are screened with a Healthy People target of 68.3%. Healthy People states that there are effective screening tools to detect colorectal cancer early, and people are more likely to survive it (Healthy People 2030, n.d.). Purpose: This quality improvement (QI) project aims to implement an evidence-based colorectal cancer screening decision tree at two primary care offices in Central Pennsylvania (PA). The goal of the implementation is to increase colorectal cancer screening orders for patients who are eligible for screening. Methods: This project utilized the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) approach to implement a decision tree to increase CRC screening orders at two primary care offices in Central PA. Providers and ancillary staff members were educated on using the decision tree and screening order data was collected. Results: There was an average weekly increase of 13.35% in screening orders compared to the previous year’s screening data. The average number of screenings increased by 2.12 screening orders placed per week. An increase in screening orders placed will hopefully improve the number of screening tests completed, which will contribute to the goal of increasing screenings and reducing the colorectal cancer death rate.

Language

English

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