Date of Graduation

Fall 12-13-2024

Document Access

Project/Capstone - Global access

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

College/School

School of Nursing and Health Professions

Program

MSN project

First Advisor

Robert Patterson

Abstract

The microsystem setting for this quality improvement project is an adult health unit at one of five safety net clinics housed within a macrosystem in a large urban setting in Northern California serving a low-income, predominantly Hispanic population. Professionals involved in the delivery of the food security program include patient support services, medical assistants, case managers, health promoters, registered nurses, and providers. With enrollment in clinic’s food security program significantly lower than program goals, clinical site stakeholders sought to identify and address gaps in delivery. This quality improvement aimed to improve the screening process to increase the percentage of eligible adult medicine clinic patients enrolled in the Food Security Program by 25%, or 11 patients per month, based on the mean enrollment for the first four months of the program (May to August) of 8.75 patients. The quality improvement team designed a simplified flyer detailing the highlights of the food security program and a frequently asked questions flier for medical assistants. A modification to the medical assistants’ electronic health record schedule repositioned a hypertension diagnosis at a more prominent position in the patients’ chart to facilitate identification of patients eligible for the food security program. Fifty fliers were provided to the medical assistants on October 30, 2024, and made available for a two-week period until November 13, 2024, at which point remaining fliers were collected and pre- and post-intervention screening and enrollment numbers were compared. Of the 50 fliers provided, 4 were distributed. Eleven program referrals were reported during the intervention period. Although data demonstrated increased enrollment in the Food Security Program during the intervention period, this could not be correlated with the QI team’s intervention.

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