Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

• Committee Chair Name & Credentials:
  Natasha McClure, DNP, PNP-BC

DNP Project Abstract

Utilization of SCOFF Screening for Eating Disorders in the Adolescent Population

Purpose
To gauge whether a questionnaire administered to adolescent patients during their annual well child visit will help increase eating disorder diagnoses made in this population group by increasing the number of adolescents screened.

Methods
This study uses a quality improvement project design with the main objective being to increase the number of eating disorder screenings administered to adolescents at a privately-owned pediatric office.

Results
Of the 80 participants 55% were male and 45% were female; 88.8% of the participants had a negative screen, while 11.2% of the participants had a positive screen.

Implications for Practice
The results indicate utilization of a screening tool for eating disorders in the adolescent population will help clinicians better understand if a patient is involved in an eating disorder and if the patient needs further evaluation for treating his or her disorder.