Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
2-24-2026
First Advisor
Lisa Drake
Second Advisor
Antiqua Smart
Abstract
The incidence of diabetes is rising, requiring clinical staff to stay current with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Standards of Care. A lack of knowledge and outdated practices were revealed during the needs assessment at the project site. This quality improvement (QI) project sought to determine whether ADA‑centered educational training could impact staff members' knowledge of diabetes. Orem’s Self‑Care Deficit Nursing Theory and Lewin’s Change Theory served as the theoretical frameworks to promote provider competence and adherence to evidence‑based diabetes treatment. Quasi‑experimental pre–post design was used with a convenience sample of four clinical staff at a rural outpatient clinic. Study interventions followed the Plan–Do–Study–Act model, using a 60‑minute ADA-informed training session with PowerPoint slides, pamphlets, and discussion. Diabetes knowledge was assessed using the validated 22‑item Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire– Revised (DKQ‑R) before and after ADA training. Using a paired t-test, mean scores on the post-test were higher (M = 22.00, SD = 0.00) than scores on the pre-test (M = 19.25, SD = 2.22), t (3) = 2.48, p = .089. Although statistical significance was not met, all participants showed clinically significant improvement in their scores. Findings from this project support brief, theory-based education as a method for impacting staff knowledge and standardizing care.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Wilson, Jeffrey, "Improving Diabetes Care: Staff Training on Updated ADA Guidelines" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 295.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/295
