College of Nursing and Health Sciences DNP Defense - Armand Belony
TITLE: Addressing Stigma Towards Individuals with Substance Use Disorders: A Quality Improvement Project
DATE: May 18, 2026
TIME: 9:00 AM
ZOOM: Please contact dhoffman@umassd.edu for ZOOM link.
COMMITTEE:
Matha Whitfield, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, Chair
Kathleen Elliott, DNP, RN, ANP-BC
Dr. Xuan Nguyen
ABSTRACT:
Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) remain a significant public health issue in the United States. Stigma directed at individuals with SUDs can negatively impact treatment engagement, recovery outcomes, and overall quality of care. Stigmatizing attitudes among healthcare professionals can lead to biased decisions, reduced empathy, and compromised therapeutic relationships.
Aims: This quality improvement project was aimed at identifying, addressing, and reducing stigma among clinical staff within an inpatient addiction recovery setting. The goal of this project was to foster a more compassionate and nonjudgement care environment that promote recovery-oriented practices.
Methods: The project was guided by the Johns Hopkins Evidence Based Practice model and Hildegard Peplau’s Nurse-patient Relationship or Interpersonal Relationship framework. An educational intervention consisting of a short PowerPoint presentation lecture and a podcast from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) was delivered to nurses working on an inpatient psychiatric facility in Massachusetts. The effect of the intervention on staff attitudes was measured using the Patient-Center Drug and Drug Problems and Perception (PC-DDPPQ). Intellecttus Statistics was used for analysis.
Results: Forty-two participants were recruited to the project study; thirty-two completed the educational intervention. Pre and post intervention PC-DDPPQ results were analyzed using paired t-tests and the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The sample did not meet power (n=32), and pre and post intervention results did not demonstrate statistical significance. However, the open-ended question results indicated that participants found the intervention was meaningful.
Discussion and conclusion: In this quality improvement study, an educational intervention focused on stigma reduction did not demonstrate statistical significance as measured by the PC-DDPPQ pre and post intervention amongst clinical staff. However, participants noted benefits in their open-ended survey questions, indicating motivation to modify their perceptions in providing treatment to individuals with substance use disorders. Using therapeutic communication has been demonstrated to reduce stigmatization, with implications for reducing the risk of drug overdose. Sustaining these improvements requires ongoing staffing training, leadership support, and integration of anti-stigma principles into organizational policies.
ZOOM
Deanna Hoffman
dhoffman@umassd.edu