Executive Summary: Clinical Practice Guideline

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project addressed a gap in practice in an outpatient clinic in the Northeastern United States. The gap in practice was a lack of standardized patient education on self-care management strategies for adult patients with diabetes, leading to increased rates of noncompliance, readmission, and poor health outcomes. The guiding question asked whether an expert panel could evaluate and validate a clinical practice (CPG) developed from current, evidence-based literature and recommendations from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American Diabetes Association on self-care management strategies for the adult patient with diabetes. The project followed the Walden University DNP Project Manual for Clinical Practice Guideline Development. Two community health nurses who currently work with diabetic patients in the community were interviewed to determine what would be most beneficial to be included in the guideline, further informing the guideline’s development. A panel of three content experts reviewed and evaluated the overall quality of the guideline using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation (AGREE) II tool. The CPG received an overall score of 94.4%, ranging from 93%-100%, across the tool’s six domains indicating that this was a high-quality guideline as all domains were scored above 70%. Adopting an evidence-based CPG for teaching diabetic patients self-care management strategies is critical for quality patient care. Research has evidenced its effectiveness in reducing readmission rates and influencing compliance with treatment. The CPG can influence positive self-care management behaviors and support a positive social change when used by nurses in this community setting.