Staff Education to Nurse Practitioners on Proper STD Treatment

This Doctor of Nursing Practice project implemented a structured staff education project to strengthen nurse practitioner knowledge related to the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases in a public health setting. Nurse practitioners often serve as the primary providers of sexually transmitted disease care for underserved and uninsured populations. Maintaining current knowledge of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) treatment guidelines is essential to reducing reinfection, limiting transmission, and promoting safe, evidence-based care. When guideline knowledge is inconsistent or outdated, opportunities for appropriate treatment may be missed. The practice-focused question guiding this project was “Among nurse practitioners in a public health primary care clinic, how effective is a structured educational session in increasing knowledge of CDC-recommended treatment for symptomatic STDs?” The purpose of the project was to increase knowledge related to sexually transmitted disease diagnosis and treatment through a focused educational intervention. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 29.0 provided an analysis of pretest and posttests. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant performance. A paired sample t-test was conducted to compare pre-educational scores to post-educational scores. The total score on the pretest was 74, and the total score on the posttest was 138. This reflected a net gain of 64 correct responses. These results indicate that staff education projects can be an effective strategy for improving knowledge gaps in providers. Findings imply recommending future targeted staff educational interventions. Improving provider knowledge by delivering evidence-based education will support positive social change for patients with sexually transmitted diseases(STDs).