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Department
Nursing
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Abstract
This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project aimed to reduce appointment nonattendance among adult primary care patients with diabetes mellitus in a Midwest clinic, where missed appointments contribute to poor disease management and increased healthcare costs, addressing a gap in follow-up care amid high diabetes prevalence. Using the Model for Improvement and Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, the project introduced a new clinic process to address patient nonattendance, incorporating nurse-led telephone reminders for missed appointments and diabetes education materials distributed from August to December 2024. The DNP student educated staff on this process, which included: providing patient handouts, tracking no-shows, and conducting bi-weekly phone follow-ups with attendance data compared to the previous year. Results revealed a slight increase in mean active clinic day visits from 8.69 (SD = 4.459) in 2023 to 9.08 (SD = 4.709) in 2024, yet the Mann-Whitney U test showed no significant difference (U = 3287.5, p = .524), indicating the interventions did not markedly enhance attendance. The project concludes that, despite lacking statistical significance, it highlights the multifaceted nature of nonattendance, suggesting a need for tailored, patient-centered strategies to improve diabetes care outcomes in primary care settings.
Keywords
diabetes mellitus, appointment nonattendance, nurse-led intervention, diabetes education, primary care, quality improvement
Advisor
Dr. Cathryn Preisner
Date of Award
Spring 2025
Document Type
DNP Project
Recommended Citation
Carson, Brooke, "Implementation of Interventions to Reduce Appointment Nonattendance in Adult Primary Care Patients with Diabetes Mellitus" (2025). Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice. 3282.
Available at:
https://scholars.fhsu.edu/theses/3282
Rights
© The Author
