Dissemination of doctor of nursing practice project findings: Benefits and challenges associated with publishing in healthcare journals.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs require a project to improve outcomes in a health care setting. However, dissemination methods vary.This evaluation examined benefits and challenges associated with submitting project manuscripts to a peer-reviewed health care journal in a DNP program with this requirement.Benefits and challenges were assessed with surveys completed by 85 DNP program alumni and 28 DNP mentors and by interviewing 5 faculty who teach in the DNP program and 5 editors of nursing journals.Benefits of completing a manuscript included sharing knowledge to improve health care outcomes and enhancing nursing scholarship. Among alumni, 81% reported manuscript development was beneficial and 69% published their work. Most students, most faculty, and all editors endorsed the requirement with alternatives for projects lacking rigor or innovation. Challenges included need for faculty involvement and editorial/statistical resources.Despite challenges, there are benefits of publishing rigorous and innovative DNP work.

Duke Scholars

Author Marilyn Haag Oermann School of Nursing

Author Katherine Colligan Pereira School of Nursing

Author Susan Gray Silva School of Nursing