Date of Award

Spring 5-22-2026

Document Type

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscript

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Briony DuBose, PhD, MHI, RN

Abstract

Abstract

Objective: This evidence-based project aimed to enhance primary care provider knowledge and prescription rates of naltrexone and long-acting injectable (LAI) naltrexone in a community healthcare setting.

Background: Naltrexone and LAI naltrexone pharmacotherapy is shown to reduce use of alcohol and opioids and improve client retention in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) (Bahji et al., 2020; Morley et al., 2024; Murphy et al., 2022).

Methods: A 30-minute in-service was provided to 14 family practice providers at the clinic. The prescription rate of naltrexone and LAI naltrexone was evaluated for the baseline period of February 18, 2025, through-February 18, 2026, and one month after the educational intervention. Data was collected after the educational intervention. The EDUCATOOL survey, which serves to evaluate educational outcomes (Matolić et al., 2023) was offered to the providers post-intervention.

Results: Pre-intervention prescriptions for naltrexone or LAI naltrexone averaged less than one per month. One-month post-intervention, there were no reported prescriptions from family practice providers of naltrexone or LAI naltrexone. Eight providers completed post-intervention surveys. This survey tool reported 12 learning outcomes on a Likert-style scale. All but one item surveyed resulted in an average score of eight or above, with a score of 10 indicating “completely agree.”

Conclusion: There was no increase in prescription rates of naltrexone, but there was an increase in intent to use knowledge acquired in the intervention. This project provided a valuable opportunity for increased communication between family practice providers and psychiatric providers.

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