First Advisor

McCallum, Colleen

Second Advisor

Cullen, Patricia L.

College

Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

School

Loretto Heights School of Nursing

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Number of Pages

59 pages

Abstract

Executive Summary
A Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Education Module to Promote Patient Activation and Efficacy
Problem
It is estimated that over 572,000 people in the United States have MS, with approximately 200 new cases being diagnosed each week (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, n.d.). In order to increase self-care, reduce the level of impairment, and ultimately, cost to the healthcare system, the consistent use of a targeted educational intervention should be implemented. The problem statement describing the capstone project was: Will the implementation of a structured educational program enhance the knowledge of MS patients and their caregivers regarding the disease process of MS, resulting in increased patient activation and self-efficacy?
Purpose
The purpose of the project was to examine whether an educational module related to the disease process of MS would improve patient activation and self-efficacy of MS patients and their caregivers with the goal being the creation of a uniform curriculum that can provide patients with enhanced knowledge of MS as well as an increased confidence related to self-care activities.
Goal
The goal of this project was to determine the impact of patient education on self-efficacy and patient activation on MS patients.
Objectives
Project objectives included the provision of a learning opportunity for MS patients to enhance their knowledge of the disease process and self-efficacy. Additionally, the project created a sustainable, reproducible patient education program, which would hopefully lead to an improvement in self-efficacy and patient activation, and potentially show improvement in their quality of life and delay disability.
Plan
In order to assess the effectiveness of the educational intervention that was introduced in this project, a pre- and post-intervention design was utilized, comparing the scores that were achieved on both the Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge Questionnaire (MSKQ) and the Patient Activation Measure (PAM). The MSKQ has been found to be a reliable and valid method for the assessment of knowledge in regards to MS symptomatology, treatment options, and prognosis (Giordano et al., 2010). The PAM has been shown to be a valid and highly reliable method for measuring patient activation (Hibbard, Stockard, Mahoney, & Tusler, 2004).
Outcomes and Results
The results from the study indicate that the educational intervention was effective in increasing the level of knowledge participants possessed with respect to the symptoms of MS. Based on the data obtained, the effect size between the pre- and post-test conditions in regards to the PAM, the Cohen’s d was 0.49, which is considered to be a medium effect size (Polit, 2010). The difference between the pre- and post-test conditions in regards to the MSKQ scores provided a Cohen’s d of 1.37, which is considered to be a relatively large effect size. Such a result would suggest that the educational intervention program used in the current study was effective in expanding the knowledge base of the participants in regards to MS.

Date of Award

Spring 2016

Location (Creation)

Colorado (state); Denver (county); Denver (inhabited place)

Rights Statement

All content in this Collection is owned by and subject to the exclusive control of Regis University and the authors of the materials. It is available only for research purposes and may not be used in violation of copyright laws or for unlawful purposes. The materials may not be downloaded in whole or in part without permission of the copyright holder or as otherwise authorized in the “fair use” standards of the U.S. copyright laws and regulations.

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