Graduation Semester and Year

Fall 2026

Language

English

Document Type

DNP Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Dr. Cynthia Diamond

Second Advisor

Dr Yungfei Kao

Abstract

Background: Individuals diagnosed with Schizophrenia have high medication nonadherence rates, which increase the risk of symptom relapse and hospitalization. This evidence-based practice (EBP) project sought to reduce antipsychotic medication nonadherence among adult patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and/or schizoaffective disorder. Methods: Twenty-six individuals aged 18 and older participated in the project over 8 weeks. A pretest-posttest design was applied to measure participants' self-reported medication adherence scores before and after implementing a medication adherence bundle. The intervention included psychoeducation, long-acting injection (LAI), and phone reminders. Paired t-tests were used to compare the pre- and post-test Medication Adherence Report Scale-5 (MARS-5) scores.  The proportion of LAI use increased from 35% before the intervention to 69% afterward. The participants' MARS-5 scores increased from pre-test (M = 14.08, SD = 5.222) to post-test (M = 17.50, SD = 5.109). Conclusions: A medication adherence bundle can improve medication adherence in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Keywords

Schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, antipsychotic nonadherence, medication adherence bundle, assertive community treatment, hospital readmission rate, and symptom relapse.

Disciplines

Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms | Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Mental Disorders | Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing | Public Health and Community Nursing

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Comments

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank God for granting me wisdom and sustaining me throughout the DNP program and project.

I extend my sincere gratitude to Dr. Cynthia Diamond for her support and encouragement.

I am also grateful to Dr. Yungfei Kao for sharing her knowledge and expertise. 

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.