Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Major

Nursing

Date of Defense

7-10-2020

Graduate Advisor

Nancy Magnuson

Co-Advisor

Susan Dean-Barr

Committee

Ann Chartrand

Abstract

Problem: The National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) reports that only 1.2% of adults suffer from OCD, but over 50% are severe (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), n.d.). Meier et al. (2016), found that patients with OCD faced a 40% higher chance of early mortality. Individuals with psychiatric conditions are more at risk for poor physical health, poor education, economic struggles and crime (Mental Health by the Numbers, 2019). Emergency departments claim tens of millions of visits per year related to psychiatric issues resulting in billions in costs each year (Mental Health by the Numbers, 2019). Genetic testing is becoming a more frequently used tool in the battle against mental illness, but it can be expensive and its value in improving clinical outcomes is still up for debate (What is the cost of genetic testing, n.d.).

Methods: A descriptive, observational, quality improvement project aimed at evaluating clinical outcomes among genetically tested patients with OCD.

Results: This quality improvement project included 15 patients (n=15), 6 who were genetically tested (n=6, 40%) and 9 who were not (n=9, 60%). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted based on an alpha value of 0.05 for each clinical outcome and all were insignificant.

Implications for practice: Providers and Patients should seriously consider the cost before utilizing routine genetic testing in patients with OCD. A larger sample size should be used in future studies.

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