Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
9-29-2026
First Advisor
Sandy King
Second Advisor
Alisha McAfee
Abstract
Cannabis use can complicate psychiatric assessment, treatment planning, and clinical outcomes, yet standardized cannabis-use screening remains inconsistently implemented in behavioral health practice. This quality improvement (QI) project addressed inconsistent cannabis screening and referral practices in an outpatient psychiatric clinic by implementing a standardized workflow to improve screening documentation to at least 80% and timely referral completion to at least 75%. A quantitative, quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design included 10 outpatient psychiatric providers over six weeks. Lewin’s Unfreeze-Change-Refreeze model guided change, the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework supported implementation, and Donabedian’s Structure-Process-Outcome model guided the project. The evidence-based intervention incorporated provider education, the valid and reliable Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test–Revised (CUDIT-R), Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)-aligned guidance, standardized electronic health record documentation, and a structured referral pathway. De-identified electronic health record data were used to evaluate screening, referral completion within 48 hours, and visit duration. Screening increased from 15.0% to 85.0%, χ²(1, N = 240) = 117.60, p < .001, and timely referral increased from 25.0% to 83.3%, Fisher’s exact p = .019. Visit duration increased from M = 30.21 minutes (SD = 0.70) to M = 31.32 minutes (SD = 0.77), t(9) = 7.43, p < .001, representing a 1.11-minute increase that remained within the predefined two-minute threshold. Limitations included the six-week implementation period, reliance on documented clinical actions, and patient self-report. All predefined project targets were achieved. The project established a feasible, standardized cannabis screening and referral process and demonstrated DNP-led evidence translation in outpatient psychiatric practice.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Chibuoke, Theresa, "Impact of Cannabis Use Screening and Early Intervention in Outpatient Psychiatric Settings" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 382.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/382
