Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing (ND)

First Advisor

Dr. Beth Turner

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency affects nearly one billion individuals globally. It is an essential vitamin to maintain bone health as well as the overall health of the body. Recent research reveals the significance of vitamin D deficiency in chronic health conditions like osteoporosis, depression, breast cancer, dementia, and viral infections like COVID-19. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aimed to evaluate if education regarding vitamin D deficiency was effective in improving provider knowledge, increases practice confidence levels, and results in self-reported practice changes. An educational session and two questionnaires were administered to healthcare providers in the state of Mississippi. Before the educational session, participants were asked to complete Questionnaire 1. Questionnaire 2 was to be completed immediately following the educational session. Each questionnaire was considered as independent samples and evaluation of the data was completed using descriptive and inferential statistics (p = <.001). Practice confidence levels in assessing and managing vitamin D deficiency increased from 10.7% to 77.8% following the educational session. Further data revealed that 88.9% of the participants were very likely to implement changes in their current clinical practice because of the educational session. As a result, continued education for healthcare providers regarding screening, diagnosing, and treating vitamin D deficiency is recommended to improve healthcare outcomes of adult patient populations.

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