Jana Garza, FNP-BC

DNP CAPSTONE ABSTRACT 

 

Identifying children at risk for obesity provides primary care providers the opportunity for an early intervention in order to limit the progression of abnormal weight gain that often results in the development of obesity-related comorbidities. A quality improvement project was conducted using an Evidence Based Educational Session (EBES) to assist clinicians at a primary care clinic located in south Texas with the implementation of clinical practice guideline recommendations for childhood obesity. The EBES provided clinicians with skills and knowledge to identify children at risk for obesity based on the recommendations set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the 2007 Expert Committee. The Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice to Promote Quality Care (Iowa Model) was the framework used to guide the development of the project to organize the change process at the primary care clinic. A convenience sample of seven clinical staff members participated in the project. A one-way repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant increase in clinical staff knowledge (p = .001). The clinical staff’s skill competencies derived from the AAP and the 2007 Expert Committe recommendations in measuring height, weight, and BMIs were assessed with a binary variable that revealed an overall percentage of 100%. A sample of 84 patient charts for children between the ages of 6 to 17 was audited (pre and post intervention) for documentation of quality indicators. A paired-sample t- test revealed a significant difference between the means (t [83] = -13.027, p < 0.05) of the patient charts suggesting an improvement in clinical staff assessment and documentation.