Dissertation
Improving compliance among outpatient prostate cancer patients
Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), Drexel University
29 May 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-3495
Abstract
Newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients face complex pre-treatment instructions and experience significant anxiety, potentially compromising treatment adherence and outcomes. This quality improvement project examined whether a nurse-led initiative to implement follow-up phone calls to review pre-treatment instructions for bladder and bowel preparation improved patient adherence in this population. A pre-treatment intervention design was implemented at an urban comprehensive cancer center. Newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients (n=6) received a follow-up phone call within seven days of consenting for radiation therapy. The primary outcome was adherence, as evidenced by machine imaging on the first day of treatment. The project was implemented over nine weeks, and the compliance rate of patients who received the intervention was examined. The Project utilized a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) methodology as the guiding framework to develop, refine, and evaluate the program. Over the nine weeks, six patients were identified as eligible to receive the intervention. Five of the six patients received the intervention; one patient did not receive the intervention. The project results demonstrated that 60% of patients who received the intervention adhered to pre-treatment instructions for bowel and bladder preparation. Although the results of this pilot project fell short of the 80% goal for patient adherence, the results show that follow-up phone calls improved adherence to pre-treatment instructions for prostate cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. Keywords: prostate cancer, pre-treatment instructions, radiation therapy, nursing interventions, improve patient adherence
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Details
- Title
- Improving compliance among outpatient prostate cancer patients
- Creators
- Cheryl L. Gee-Maurer
- Contributors
- Barbara Ruth Osborne (DNP Chair) - Drexel University, Nurse Practitioner Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- 38 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Doctoral Nursing; Nursing (Graduate); College of Nursing and Health Professions; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991014632569404721