DNP Capstone Project Ideas and Examples

If you have enrolled for a DNP degree, be sure that at the end of the program you will require to complete a capstone project. The project is a culmination of your nursing education and it allows you to demonstrate the knowledge and skills you have acquired as well as your suitability to graduate as a Doctor of Nursing Practice. So, if you fail to complete your DNP capstone project, you will most likely be failing to graduate with your degree. Therefore, it is vital that you start your capstone project off on the right footing by choosing the best DNP capstone project idea for your paper.

Writing a perfect nursing capstone project will always start with choosing an idea that is right for your DNP project. Choosing an idea that is going to be too hard to complete or one that is too easy can lead to substantial problems during your research and writing up the project. As such, you need to choose your DNP capstone project ideas with extra care if you want to research and write your capstone project in a smooth manner and get the best results.

If you are stuck with finding the right nursing capstone project ideas for your capstone paper, we can help you select the right project ideas for your DNP. Besides, we can provide you with a comprehensive list of nursing capstone ideas and examples.

 Why DNP Capstone Projects Are Important for Nursing Students?

There are many important goals of a nursing capstone project. The importance is anchored in the need for most students to choose a capstone project over a nursing thesis at any given chance. Some of the reasons why the capstone project is important includes:

Understanding community needs: By handling a DNP capstone project, nursing students can identify and address primary care needs and issue within their community settings.

DNP capstone projects helps develop an interest in a given specialty: As student nurses work on their capstone projects, they can in the process develop a greater passion for a specific area of interest.

DNP projects help define an information problem or opportunity: For example, if the rates of childhood obesity is high, a nursing capstone projects can help come up with assured strategies to address the problem.

Helps nursing students look at the world from a systems approach point of view: A nursing student who goes for a nursing capstone project will likely make a difference in the community, clinical setting of the healthcare department by trying to solve systematic medical care problems in their work area.

DNP projects provide a chance to combine work from class with professional nursing practice: When nursing students handle capstone projects, they can apply different nursing practice theories, frameworks, ideas, and models to help their professional development.

A good DNP capstone project must reflect research ethics, program theory, statistics, leadership and always preceded by a capstone research proposal.

What should I look for in a Good DNP Capstone Project Idea?

Researching and writing a project idea that is not interesting or destined to fail is the last thing that you want in your DNP program. For that reason, you must understand what makes good DNP capstone project ideas before you make your selection. That way, you can make a good capstone project and quickly dismiss those that will not yield the results in a good research capstone paper.

You have to clearly show off your knowledge in your area of specialty while tackling an important idea of your DNP. As such, you must choose a DNP capstone project that is:

• Unique: You can find many problems in primary care that need solving and you will be required to choose an idea that has not been solved by anyone already.
• Important: You must search and find a real patient-centered solution linked to a problem that will benefit patients and nurse practitioners across the globe.
• Challenging: Your capstone project must demonstrate what you have learned within your capstone program or in clinical practice.
• Achievable: You must have enough time and resources to complete your research and write a high-quality capstone project.
• Focused: You have to accurately define the subject so you can focus your research and know when you come up with a firm solution.

Potential Sources to Get Great DNP Capstone Project Ideas

When it comes to getting an idea for your nursing capstone project, you may wonder where to begin. However, we provide you with some of the best places to search for your nursing capstone project ideas. These places include:

• Peer-Reviewed Nursing Journals

For a focused DNP student, access to a peer-reviewed article database is a top priority. You must be an ardent reader of medical or nursing journals online. As you research, you can accidentally stumble or objectively find some useful insights from these journals. Have you ever spent some time reading recently published online journals? What are some of the research topics that strike you the most? Are there issues open to further research that relates to nursing or the medical environment? Did you find gaps in research that require to be understood? By objectively reading these recently published articles in nursing or medical journals, you can find a viable capstone project idea for your DNP capstone project.

• Nursing News Articles

With Google Search, you can easily search for the most recent published news articles in the nursing field. You can think about issues around mental health among the elderly abuse in-home care or mental health among veterans in the news articles. With this in mind, you can easily get insights on what areas to focus on depending on where you come from. As you read through the news, you will most likely stumble on an idea that could form the best basis for you DNP capstone project.

• Nursing Capstone Projects from Past Classes

Getting nursing capstone papers from the past classes in your nursing school and skimming through them can help you find some of the best ideas for your capstone paper. You will notice that as you interact with the content, your mind will evoke some insightful topic ideas for your DNP paper.

• Class Notes and Material

In nursing school, course objectives are usually given before you commence a DNP program. With this, you can start brainstorming for your DNP capstone project ideas. In fact, as you read the objectives you will understand what the end project capstone paper should look like.  Besides, class notes and reading materials can provide reliable insights. Additionally, you can search through your past research papers, nursing essays, concept papers, and term papers for better nursing capstone project ideas.

• Clinical Rounds

Clinical allows you to work with a preceptor as well as shadow your peers when there is a shortage. In this respect, you might have learned a great deal from the clinical. You can convert the knowledge you accrued from your experiences during your clinical rounds and when providing care to various patients. In fact, you can generate several ideas at the end of your clinical by reflecting on your experiences.

Top DNP Capstone Project ideas and Examples

DNP Project Ideas for Women’s Health

The area of women’s health is an active area in nursing research where you can choose a good DNP capstone idea. This is because it integrates breastfeeding nursing capstone project ideas, sexual health, the general wellbeing of women, and healthcare access. If this is your specialty, then here some good nursing capstone project ideas:

• Postpartum depression among women
• Addressing mental health among pregnant women in rural areas
• Teenage pregnancy
• Diabetes management during pregnancy
• Preeclampsia among women
• Preventing pregnant women from Zika Virus
• Gestational diabetes management
• The link between HPV and Cervical cancer
• Birth control approach among women
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Epidural in induced births
• Emergency contraception or birth control
• Breastfeeding, work, and women of low socio-economic status
• Menopause in women
• Nutritional management during pregnancy
• Breast pumps and breastfeeding
• Birth control approach among women
• Impact of fibroids on women
• Using codeine and tramadol products in breastfeeding women
• Management of endometriosis
• Exclusive breastfeeding and immune levels of children
• Uterine cancer and fibroids in women
• Pelvic floor issues in women
• Postmenstrual syndrome and hormonal changes
• Use of supplements when breastfeeding
• Urine incontinence in women
• Constipation after cesarean surgery
• Factors that influence the decision to breastfeed

Medical Surgery DNP Capstone Project Ideas

• Operating room nurses and compassion fatigue
• Coronary artery bypass grafting
• Complications of general anaesthesia
• Role of the clinical nurse coordinator
• Arterial bypass surgery
• Roles and responsibilities of nurses in OT
• Bariatric surgery intervention for obese patients
• Causes and symptoms of Meningitis
• Celiac disease management
• Role of certified registered nurse anaesthetist (CRNA)
• Burn nursing through surgical care
• Patient care involvement and intervention post-surgery
• Minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery
• Improved safety in operating rooms
• Organ failure and transplantation
• Complexity within the cardiac intensive care unit environment
• Management of COPD
• Dengue hemorrhagic fever
• Surgical interventions for neurogenic shock
• Dermatitis management
• Diabetic foot care
• Immunodeficiency disorder
• Peptic ulcers disease management
• Stem cells therapy in cancer
• Cataract and refractive surgery
• Minor and significant surgery: Compare and contrast
• Post-operative nursing practice in Asccitis
• Wound healing processes and management
• Application of thermal heating to prevent intraoperative hypothermia
• Classification and management approaches to burn wounds
• Treatment of fire wounds
• An interdisciplinary approach to surgical interventions
• Phlebotomy procedure
• Cushing syndrome management

DNP Capstone Project Ideas for Mental Health

• The use of cognitive-behavioural therapy techniques in psychiatric facilities
• How domestic violence affects the children
• Using CBT for PTSD affected veterans
• The efficiency of Yoga in maintaining mental health wellbeing
• Child and adolescent psychiatry
• Use of expressive art therapy for positive youth development
• Understanding postnatal depression among women
• Substance abuse among the geriatric population
• Preventing falls in psychiatric facilities
• Effectiveness of mental health services for deaf service users
• Access to mental health services by aboriginals or a specific population
• Health education approach for mentally ill patients
• Safety in the psychiatric facilities
• Psychological rehabilitation readiness assessment
• Effectiveness of mental health services for deaf service users
• Preparing student nurses to manage trauma in clinical settings
• Are Intellectual Disability Nurses perceived differently from other nurses?

Patient Falls Nursing Capstone Project Ideas

Patient falls is an active area that is being regularly addressed in nursing education. As a DNP student, you can easily select a capstone project topic idea on patient falls and write a great paper that can deliver the best grades.

Therefore, when looking at the entire issue of patient falls, there are measurement scales, contributing factors such as dementia, age, physical and mental health issues, or Alzheimer’s that you must take into consideration.

Besides, various falls prevention and fall management strategies can also be a good area for research when undertaking your DNP capstone project. The following are some ideas to consider:

• The use of video and camera monitoring to prevent falls among elderly patients
• Role of hospital leadership in preventing patient falls
• Potential causes of falls in hospitals
• Fall prevention strategies in home settings
• The use of technology in fall prevention
• Evidence-based practice falls intervention strategies in hospital settings
• Quality improvement program for reducing falls in medical-surgical units
• Nursing interventions to prevent falls
• Defining fall and fall risk patient
• Hospital-Based Fall Program Measurement and Improvement in
• High-Reliability Organizations
• Medical staff attitude and knowledge about in-patient falls
• Outpatient fall risk assessment tool
• Use of exercise in reducing falls among elderly patients
• Patient fall education and patient safety
• Multifactorial interventions for the prevention of falls among elderly patients
• Fall risk among osteoporosis patients
• Factors contributing to psychiatric patient falls in hospitals
• Quality improvement program for reducing falls in medical-surgical units
• Using engineering controls to prevent falls among patients and the elderly
• Home safety modification to reduce fall injuries among geriatric patients
• Impacts of visiting home nurses on reducing in-patient falls
• An interdisciplinary approach to fall management in clinical settings
• Strategies and tools to address patient falls in nursing homes
• Impact of the design of healthcare environment on patient fall

Nursing Leadership Capstone Project Topics

Nursing leadership is a great area that many DNP students and researchers venture into. However, it does not imply that all the knowledge is exhausted just yet. You can get some great nursing leadership ideas that can be written into a good capstone project.

However, when selecting a leadership capstone project idea, be sure not to choose a too broad topic that will lead you to dilute the content of your DNP capstone project. Here is a list of nursing leadership capstone project ideas to consider:

• Professional development strategies for nurse practitioner
• Importance of charismatic leadership among nurse leaders
• Importance of nurse leaders in quality improvement projects
• The stress management approach for nurse leaders
• The link between nurse leadership and change management
• Role of transformational leadership among nurse managers
• Long term and short-term goals for clinical leaders
• Importance of ethical practice among nurse leaders
• How nurse leaders can initiate and manage change
• Impact of nurse leadership on patient outcomes
• What is leadership from a nurse perspective
• Role of nurse managers in healthcare
• Role of nurse leaders in solving conflicts in clinical setting
• Organizational strategies nurse leaders can use to motivate the healthcare personnel
• Significance of communication among interprofessional team nurse leaders
• Challenges facing contemporary nurse leaders
• Nurse leaders as patient advocates
• How nurse leaders can address burnout among nurses
• Impact of recognition program on Registered Nurses motivation level
• Transactional leadership approach among nurses
• Comparing and contrasting nurse leadership roles in private and public hospitals
• Nurse leaders as change agents in healthcare settings
• Difference between accountability among nurse leaders in developing nations and developing nations

Nursing Informatics DNP Capstone Project Topics

• Data governance in healthcare settings
• Use of Healthcare Information Technology to support evidence-based practice in nursing
• The use of technology to bridge the nurse shortage gaps in rural areas
• HITECH Legislation and Electronic Medical Records in healthcare
• Importance of clinical support decision making systems
• The impact if nursing informatics on patient outcomes and patient care efficiencies
• The use of big data in healthcare settings
• The use of electronic health records to offer palliative care
• Role of nursing informatics in quality improvement
• E-learning as a professional development approach among nurses
• Significance of mHealth apps on mental health care access by rural populations
• Nursing faculty perceptions on the use of computer-based virtual simulation in an associate degree nursing program
• The use of smartphones in in-patient management and education

Genera Nursing Capstone Project Ideas

• Palliative care and its status quo in acute care hospitals for non-metropolitan setting
• Techniques to enhance patient flow in an emergency care facility
• A review in handling medical emergencies through effective critical care response
• Chronic diseases care implementation
• An examination of nurses’ knowledge and attitudes of
• palliative care in an acute-care hospital in a non-metropolitan setting
• Chronic disease program effectiveness
• Effective integration of health information technology and
• informatics into a graduate nursing school plan of study
• Graduate student mentoring: development and implementation strategies for a mentoring program in nursing school
• Use of nurse case managers in diabetic care
• Patients’ ratings of exceptions for nursing care compared to
• nurses’ perceived patient ratings of nursing care
• Ovarian cancer pilot study
• Nurse practitioner adherence to national asthma guidelines:
• behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge
• Diabetes patients’ development model care
• Nursing assessment: What healthcare workers need to know when dealing with emergencies and critical care patients?
• Measuring documentation of clinical metrics for diabetes management to achieve patient centered medical home status
• Integrated model of dementia care
• Diversity in health care
• Emergency care: Giving transition shock training to patients dealing with substance abuse
• Job description and performance assessment for practice nurse
• Assessment of delirium by critical care nurses: Practices and perceptions
• Effects of implementation of evidence-based fall risk scale on fall rates
• Designing and implementing a new graduate registered nurse residency program
• Strategies for quick and competent response in an ambulatory care setting: An integrative literature review
• Strategic plan for medical home adaptations
• Protective measures for healthcare providers during disease outbreaks: A systematic literature review
• Clinical practice guidelines for the referral of neonatal intensive care unit graduates to developmental care follow-up clinic

Have you identified any DNP capstone project ideas you may want to give close attention? We believe that with these capstone project topics, you will can easily narrow down to the best idea for your capstone paper. If you need help in writing perfect nursing capstone project papers, we can assure the best practices in writing your DNP capstone paper.

Besides, we provide examples of capstone projects we have done before to give you a snippet of what to expect. Feel free to use our professional advice and help to choose the best DNP capstone project ideas for your capstone paper!