Background: Up to 70% of patients with a cancer diagnosis report experiencing some type of distress. Patients who have distress are less likely to adhere to treatment plans, have a lower quality of life and more commonly suffer from depression. Globally, it has been determined that a cancer diagnosis is directly related to higher levels of distress. For this reason, internationally it is becoming a standard to screen all oncology patients for distress. In Cody, Wyoming, there is no formal distress screening that is utilized at the local cancer center. the Distress Thermometer is a formal, reliable, and valid screening tool used to access oncology patients for distress. EBP Framework: The Iowa model for EBP was utilized to organize and implement this DNP project. Additionally, Neuman Systems Model provided the theoretical framework for which this problem is based upon. Neuman’s emphasis on the prevention of outside stressors for all patients directly relates back to the goals of this project. Methods: A quasi experimental study was completed over a six-week period to assess the imapct of staff education on the response rate of patients completing the Distress Thermometer. Data was collected for a three-week period prior to staff education to determine the number of Distress Thermometers completed by each patient who was seen by a provider in a rural medical oncology clinic. A staff educational session was provided and data was collected for another three-week period post-intervention. This method was utilized to determine if the staff educational session would impact the number of patients who completed the Distress Thermometer. Findings/Results: After data analysis, it was determined that staff education had a clinically significant impact on the completion rate of the Distress Thermometer. There was a 30% increase in Distress Thermometer completion following the staff education session. Conclusions/Recommendations: The author concludes that staff education has the ability to influence patient completion of the Distress Thermometer. Additionally, it is this author’s recommendation that the use dof the Distress Thermometer be a continued practice in this medical oncology clinic. By utilizing the Distress Thermometer this clinic will be meeting both national and international standards to screen oncology patients for distress. Additionally, other national goals such as Healthy People 2020 will be met with the use of this psychosocial screening tool.
