Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

• Committee Chair Name & Credentials:
  Jessica Walker, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC
• Committee Member Name & Credentials:
  Christian Ketel, DNP, RN, FNAP

DNP Project Abstract

The Impact of a Diabetes Mellitus Education Intervention at an Outreach Program

Purpose
The purpose of this project was to determine if a diabetes mellitus (DM) educational program impacted the knowledge and health literacy of DM among the homeless and vulnerable population who attends an outreach program with a soup kitchen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Methods
Utilizing the literature as a guide and the Health Belief Model as a framework, a four session education series was developed about DM. Scores of the three participants were assessed pre- and post-intervention using the Revised Brief Diabetes Knowledge Test (DKT2) for knowledge and self-care related to DM and the Diabetes Health Belief Scale (DHBS) for perceived beliefs about DM.

Results
The mean score of the DKT2 increased post-intervention from 8.7 to 11.7. The DHBS's perceived susceptibility scores increased in most participants (n = 2) post-intervention, reflecting beliefs of a shorter life expectancy with a DM diagnosis. For the DHBS, there was also an overall score increase in the psychological barriers (related to nutrition) question and decrease in a severity (related to skin issues) question post-intervention.

Implications for Practice
Education sessions focused on DM may be successfully implemented at community outreach programs with soup kitchens and may have a positive impact on knowledge acquisition and beliefs for attendees. This feasible intervention can be individualized to various sites and expanded upon in the future.