Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
4-6-2026
First Advisor
Lisa Drake
Second Advisor
Diane Hare
Abstract
The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate whether an educational intervention on animal-assisted therapy (AAT) improved nursing faculty perceived knowledge and confidence in using AAT to improve program outcomes. The problem addressed was the limited knowledge and confidence among nursing faculty regarding the use of non-traditional, evidence-based strategies to support student mental health. This project was guided by the Stetler Model of Evidence-Based Practice and Lewin’s Change Theory and used a quasi-experimental, one-group pre–post design. The project was conducted with nursing faculty teaching in a baccalaureate program at a four-year public university in Oklahoma. A 10-item Likert-scale instrument, consisting of five knowledge items and five confidence items, was used to measure changes before and after a structured online educational intervention on AAT. Twenty-three faculty participants completed both the pre- and post-intervention surveys. Results demonstrated a statistically significant increase in perceived knowledge scores from pre-intervention (M = 3.24, SD = 1.19) to post-intervention (M = 4.56, SD = 0.82), t(22) = -4.61, p < .001, with a large effect size (d = 0.96). Confidence scores also significantly improved from pre-intervention (M = 3.21, SD = 1.22) to post-intervention (M = 4.63, SD = 0.59), t(22) = -5.20, p < .001, with a large effect size (d = 1.08). A Wilcoxon signed-rank test confirmed the findings for confidence. These findings indicate that a brief educational intervention can effectively improve nursing faculty perceived knowledge and confidence in AAT. Increasing faculty preparedness may support the integration of innovative wellness strategies in nursing education.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Whitwell, Sarah J., "Quality Improvement Project: Educating Nursing Faculty on Animal-Assisted Therapy: Enhancing Knowledge and Confidence to Improve Program Outcomes" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 330.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/330
