National Evaluation of DNP Projects Based on 2015 AACN White Paper and 2019 DNP Project Roadmap☆

The AACN expectation to prepare DNP graduates with EBP and QI competencies using the project was clarified with the 2015 White Paper and these expectations have not changed with the new Essentials. Evidence suggests DNP projects continue to be a mix of research and QI. Using the DNP Project Roadmap, we reviewed 214 projects from 120 schools from publicly available sources for the presence of EBP and QI project elements. Of the 27 Roadmap elements evaluated, only two had a significant (p ≤ .05) positive change after the release of the White Paper 1) a question to frame the problem/issue (pre-48.4 %, n = 45, post-64.5 %, n = 78) and 2) an evidence search (pre-26.9 %, n = 25, post-39.7 %, n = 48). Nineteen of the 27 elements had positive change; however, were still not present in \u3e50% of the project papers. These findings can be used to engage in a national conversation on DNP curricular expectations of projects that demonstrate student competency in EBP and QI

An Integrative Review of the Barriers and Facilitators to Nurse Engagement in Quality Improvement in the Clinical Practice Setting

Background: Nurse engagement in quality improvement (QI) improves health care quality and outcomes but is typically low in clinical settings. Purpose: An integrative review was conducted to identify facilitators and barriers of nurse engagement in QI. Methods: This integrative review was conducted using an electronic search of databases with search terms specific to nursing engagement in QI. The Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Evidence Level and Quality Guide was used to rate quality and level of evidence. Results: Nine articles met the criteria for review. Top barriers were leadership, education and training, resource constraints, data, culture, and time. Top facilitators were leadership, education and training, culture, mentors, and champions. Conclusion: High-quality literature exploring barriers and facilitators of nurse engagement in QI is lacking. Research is needed to examine the degree to which these barriers and facilitators impact engagement and how they can be addressed to increase it