Date of Award

Summer 2020

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

Faculty Chair

Dr. Arlinda Wormely

Abstract

Background: Acute sinusitis is a typical patient diagnosis encountered in the outpatient setting. Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is a well-documented concern. The overprescribing of antibiotics is associated with increased antibiotic resistance, cost, and adverse side effects. Despite the research, improper prescribing of antibiotics continues to be problematic.

Purpose: A provider education program was implemented at three separate urgent care centers for healthcare providers concerning antibiotic stewardship. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a provider education program to examine changes in the immediate antibiotic prescribing habits.

Design Method: A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design with provider educational intervention was implemented concerning antibiotic stewardship. A retrospective electronic medical record audit was conducted on selected charts of patients with the diagnosis of acute uncomplicated sinusitis who met the inclusion criteria before and after the educational intervention to determine if an immediate antibiotic had been prescribed.

Conclusions: The number of immediate antibiotic prescriptions for the adult patient diagnosed with acute uncomplicated sinusitis did not decrease after a provider educational intervention was completed. The overall goal of a 10% decrease in immediate antibiotic prescribing was not achieved.

Implication for Nursing: A significant role for all healthcare team members is to become an active participant in an antibiotic stewardship program to help reduce antimicrobial resistance and adverse reactions associated with antibiotic use.

Included in

Nursing Commons

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