Staff Education on Medication Adherence

Summary The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project focuses on improving medication adherence in mental health settings, where many patients do not take medications as prescribed, leading to worsening symptoms, relapse, frequent hospitalizations, higher healthcare costs, and reduced quality of life. This problem mainly affects individuals with anxiety, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia, and is often related to poor understanding of treatment, cultural beliefs, or limited access to care. Because nurses play a key role in medication monitoring, education, and patient support, the project examined whether staff education improves nurses’ knowledge, confidence, and effectiveness compared to standard practice without training. The project involved designing, implementing, and evaluating a staff education program, utilizing pre- and post-tests to measure changes in staff confidence and understanding. Findings showed that education improved nurses’ awareness of adherence challenges, ability to identify barriers, and skills in providing patient-centered education and collaboration. The average percentage increase was 88.89%, suggesting that nurses achieved a better understanding of the evidence-based practice strategies to improve medication adherence. The primary outcome was a reusable staff education module, and the project concludes that ongoing staff education is a practical and sustainable approach to strengthening nursing practice, promoting culturally sensitive and equitable care, reducing health disparities, and improving medication adherence and outcomes for underserved mental health populations.