Date of Degree

12-2017

Document Type

Doctoral Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Program

Nursing

Advisor

Dr. Laura Munoz

Advisor

Christina Hernandez

Abstract

Allergy-related diseases, chemical sensitivities, and food intolerances have increased dramatically over the last 20 years in both the pediatric and adult populations, contributing to escalating rates of morbidity. Despite an abundance of literature supporting the negative impact food reactions can have in multiple disease states, food reactions continue to be seen as a modern enigma in medicine and are often met with great skepticism. There are a variety of interventions available to identify food reactions in both adults and children; yet, the traditional elimination diet remains the standard of care. Regardless of its utility and clinical effectiveness in the healthcare setting, the elimination diet is significantly underutilized by healthcare practitioners. The purpose of this project was to improve provider adherence rates with prescribing the elimination diet for patients with select diagnoses supported in the literature. The project was implemented in a Functional Medicine Clinic in Austin, Texas, with the goal of increasing adherence with prescribing the elimination diet in select patients from the current rate of 17% to over 80%. The project’s interventions included creating a patient user-friendly elimination diet teaching guide for patients and electronic medical record integration to aid practitioners in prescribing and documenting the intervention. Implementing holistic, safe, cost-effective evidence-based interventions like the elimination diet to improve patient outcomes demonstrate how the Doctor of Nursing Practice prepared the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse to utilize their skills, knowledge, and experience to transform the future of healthcare.

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