Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
11-17-2025
First Advisor
Lisa Drake
Second Advisor
Beverly Clark
Abstract
Appropriate and timely use of a defibrillator and crash cart is essential for patient survival during cardiac arrest, yet many medical-surgical nurses report limited preparedness due to inconsistent, non-standardized training. The purpose of this DNP project is to evaluate the impact of a structured didactic and simulation-based educational intervention on nurses’ self-assessed preparedness to respond to life-threatening events and their perceptions of educational best practices. The aim of the project is to demonstrate measurable improvements in nurses’ self-reported preparedness in responding to emergent events and their perceptions of effective teaching and learning strategies. Guided by Tanner’s Model of Clinical Judgment and the Awareness-Desire-Knowledge-Ability-Reinforcement (ADKAR) change framework, the project utilized a quasi-experimental, one-group pretest–posttest design involving 24 nurses from three medical-surgical units at a community hospital. Participants completed the Life-Threatening Event Preparedness to Respond Questionnaire and the National League Nursing Educational Practices Questionnaire-Curriculum Version (EPQ-C) before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank tests. Results showed statistically significant improvements in preparedness (M = 2.19 to 4.61, p < .001) and in both EPQ-C subscales measuring perceptions of evidence-based educational practices (p < .001). Limitations included a small sample size and an evaluation conducted immediately after the intervention only. Findings confirm that simulation-based training effectively improves nurses’ preparedness to use defibrillators and crash carts during emergent events. Integrating this training into yearly competencies or orientation programs can strengthen preparedness and enhance patient safety.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Lusk, Josilyn, "Quality Improvement Project: Responding Effectively with the Use of a Defibrillator and Crash Cart: An Educational Intervention for Medical-Surgical Nurses" (2025). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 239.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/239
