Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
6-24-2026
First Advisor
Lisa Drake
Second Advisor
Veronica Arredondo
Abstract
Mental health care access in the US faces systemic barriers that delay treatment and disrupt care, often worsening patient outcomes. Unmet social needs of health, such as transportation, financial, and housing issues, lead to missed appointments and fragmented care, thereby increasing health disparities. This quality improvement project evaluated whether targeted staff education improved the identification and response to social needs that affect appointment adherence. Adult Learning Theory guided the training, while Lewin’s Theory of Change and the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework informed implementation and evaluation. The intervention population consisted of five clinic staff members. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate changes in staff self-efficacy in using the Health Leads Screening Tool and managing follow-up care. Data collection instruments included staff interviews and pretest/posttest surveys using the Educational Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. The educational intervention led to significant improvements in staff self-efficacy. Results showed notable increases in pretest-to-posttest scores on the Educational Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. Nurse scores improved, t(4) = -14.23, p = .0001, mean difference -1.3; average item scores also rose, t(5) = -13.58, p < .0001, mean difference -1.3. All staff demonstrated self-efficacy with the screening tool post-intervention. These findings suggest that integrating structured social needs screening and education in mental health practice leads to more equitable mental health outcomes, improves care coordination, and increases patient engagement.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Anderson, Dorathy, "Quality Improvement Project: Addressing Appointment Non-Adherence Through Social Needs Screening" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 354.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/354
