Date of Award
Summer 2026
Document Type
DNP Executive Summary
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Family Nurse Practitioner
Department
Nursing
Faculty Chair
Dr. Laura Barrow
Preceptor
Dr. Paula Hunt
Abstract
Background: Although highly preventable with screening, colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to be a major source of illness and mortality in the United States. Healthcare providers at the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project site inconsistently ordered CRC screening for eligible patients due to deficiencies in the point-of-care reminder system. These system failures created missed opportunities for CRC prevention and reduced compliance with established practice guidelines.
Purpose: This DNP project aimed to implement and evaluate a CRC screening checklist given to patients at appointment check-in, serving as a reminder for providers to order appropriate screening tests.
Project Design: Using the National Cancer Institute’s CRC Risk Assessment Tool, providers evaluated patients aged 45-75 regarding CRC risk factors.
Results: The checklist consistently prompted clinicians to evaluate CRC screening status at the point-of-care, leading to improvements in both the rate of orders and provider compliance with United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines. Over eight weeks, screening order rates for patients ages 45-75 increased to 91.8%, compared with the pre-intervention rate of 68.7%. This improvement is statistically significant (p < .001).
Conclusion: Incorporating provider reminder checklists into the workflow proved an effective way to prompt providers to efficiently evaluate CRC screening status and minimize missed screening opportunities.
Recommended Citation
Cofield, Komfort, "Reducing Missed Opportunities for CRC Screening via Provider Reminder System in a Primary Care Setting" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 144.
https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/etds_nursing/144
Podium Presentation Slides
DNP POSTER.pptx (1986 kB)
Poster Slides