Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
9-26-2025
First Advisor
Lisa Drake
Second Advisor
Jacquie Sands
Abstract
Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide; however, screening in primary care remains inconsistent. Even though the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a validated screening tool, its use is often limited by insufficient provider training. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to evaluate the impact of structured provider education on PHQ-9 screening practices, with the purpose of improving provider knowledge, confidence, and adherence to screening guidelines in a primary care setting. Guided by Donabedian's Model of Quality Care and Lewin's Change Theory and implemented using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework, the project used a one-group pre/post design at an outpatient clinic with ten providers. The intervention consisted of a 30-minute training session on PHQ-9 administration, scoring, and interpretation. Data were collected through pre- and post-surveys and weekly chart audits. Survey data were non-normally distributed (Shapiro–Wilk), so Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used. Internal consistency for the 10-item scale was excellent (�� = .95). Significant increases were found in knowledge (M = 2.40 to 4.10) and confidence (M = 2.60 to 4.30; p = .018). Screening adherence improved from 40% to 85% by Week 6, t(6) = 3.71, p = .010, d = 1.40). Despite a small sample and short duration, the project demonstrated that brief, targeted education significantly improves PHQ-9 use. Continued integration of training may support earlier depression detection, promote evidence-based practice, and enhance patient-centered mental health care in primary settings.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Okafor, Obianuju, "Quality Improvement Project Enhancing Provider Education on PHQ-9 Depression Screening to Improve Compliance" (2025). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 207.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/207
