Poster Presentation
Monday, November 5, 2007
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Monday, November 5, 2007
1:45 PM - 3:00 PM
Clinical Outcomes of Depressed Clients who are Treated by Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses
Evelyn Parrish, MSN, Department of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY, USA and Ann R. Peden, ARNP-CS, DSN, College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Learning Objective #1: Evaluate clinical outcomes in depressed clients who are treated by Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses. |
Learning Objective #2: Describe the measurement of cliinical outcomes in Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing practice. |
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical outcomes of adult clients diagnosed with major depression who are treated by advanced practice psychiatric nurses (APPNs). With the expansion of the APPN role, these providers bring to the practice arena knowledge and expertise in both modalities. Having one provider who can offer both medication management and psychotherapy is advantageous to the client. This extension necessitates the evaluation of clinical outcomes to validate the quality of care provided by APPNs. The specific aims of the study are to: 1) evaluate the effectiveness of the APPN in improving clinical outcomes of the depressed client; and 2) measure the level of satisfaction of adult clients diagnosed with major depression treated by the APPN.
To date, there are limited outcomes studies of APPN care. The measurement of client outcomes and documentation of evidence based practice is essential in order to clarify the APPNs contributions to the delivery of mental health care. Studies are needed that report outcomes of the care provided by the APPN. This is a longitudinal study using repeated measures will be conducted to evaluate the clinical outcomes of depressed clients treated by APPNs. Data will be collected at baseline and at 1- and 3- months post initiation of treatment. Study participants will be 50 clients treated by APPNs in Central Kentucky. Data will be collected on depressive symptoms, clinical outcomes, health related quality of life, treatment strategies, office milieu, satisfaction with care, and sociodemographic characteristics. Results of the study will document changes in depression over the course of treatment.
Data are currently being collected. No results are available at this time.
The limited research related to the measurement and evaluation of clinical outcomes of APPN care provides numerous opportunities for study. While the reported studies revealed positive findings related to APPN provided care, they did not address the effectiveness of particular strategies used to treat a specific illness or measure specific outcomes. [PC1] This study will contribute to the developing body of knowledge that evaluates care provided by APPNs. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical outcomes of adult clients diagnosed with major depression who are treated by APPNs.
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