Staff Education to Improve Tirzepatide Education and Lifestyle Counseling

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was a practice-focused staff education initiative designed to improve clinical staff knowledge, confidence, and readiness to educate adult patients enrolled in a Tirzepatide weight-management program. Tirzepatide has demonstrated superior weight-loss outcomes compared to other glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists; however, inconsistent staff education practices related to medication administration, adverse-event management, and lifestyle counseling present a gap in practice. Variability in staff knowledge and teaching approaches may reduce confidence, contribute to inconsistent patient education, and limit the effectiveness of evidence-based care delivery. The purpose of this DNP project was to address this practice gap by implementing a structured evidence-based staff education program supported by a standardized Tirzepatide Staff Education Checklist. The practice-focused question guiding this project examined whether educating staff about Tirzepatide weight management would improve staff knowledge, confidence, and readiness to educate patients. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to evaluate pre- and posttest scores and the program evaluation/ confidence, knowledge, and readiness outcomes. Findings demonstrated improved staff knowledge, confidence, and readiness. Results support the use of sustainable, standardized education practices to promote quality improvement and positive social change through equitable, inclusive, and consistent patient education.