DNP Project Ideas: 60 Topics by Practice Area

The best DNP project ideas start from a real problem in a setting you can access, with enough evidence to guide a change you can implement and measure. Below are 60 DNP project ideas by practice area to help you find that starting point.

Treat each idea as a seed, not a finished topic. Your site's data, your specialty and your program's rules will shape it into a project, and the second half of this guide shows how.

Acute and Critical Care (1 to 10)

Hospital units generate rich outcome data, such as infection, fall and readmission rates, which makes evaluation straightforward. Most of these ideas suit acute care NP and leadership tracks.

1. A nurse-driven protocol for early removal of indwelling urinary catheters to reduce CAUTI.
2. Implementing a sepsis screening tool at triage in the emergency department.
3. Hourly purposeful rounding to reduce falls on a medical-surgical unit.
4. A pressure injury prevention bundle in the intensive care unit.
5. Structured bedside shift handover to improve communication and patient satisfaction.
6. Early mobility protocols for mechanically ventilated patients.
7. A delirium screening and prevention program for older inpatients.
8. Standardized central line maintenance to reduce CLABSI.
9. Nurse-led discharge teaching with teach-back to reduce heart failure readmissions.
10. An early warning score with a rapid response escalation pathway.

Primary and Ambulatory Care (11 to 20)

Clinic projects often use screening or follow-up rates as outcomes, which change quickly enough to measure within a program timeline.

11. Nurse-led telephone follow-up to improve HbA1c testing in type 2 diabetes.
12. Standardized depression screening with the PHQ-9 in primary care.
13. A hypertension self-management program using home blood pressure monitoring.
14. Improving colorectal cancer screening rates with patient navigation.
15. Reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory infections.
16. Increasing adult vaccination uptake with standing orders.
17. Implementing an obesity management pathway using motivational interviewing.
18. Annual wellness visit completion among Medicare patients.
19. Screening for social determinants of health with a referral process.
20. Improving asthma action plan use in pediatric primary care.

Mental Health and Substance Use (21 to 30)

These ideas suit psychiatric mental health tracks. Ethics review deserves extra care here, because many involve vulnerable patients.

21. Implementing SBIRT (screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment) for alcohol use.
22. A suicide risk screening protocol in emergency or primary care settings.
23. Metabolic monitoring for patients on second-generation antipsychotics.
24. Trauma-informed care training for inpatient psychiatric staff.
25. Reducing restraint and seclusion use with de-escalation training.
26. Improving access to medications for opioid use disorder through a nurse care manager model.
27. Collaborative care for depression and anxiety in primary care.
28. Postpartum depression screening at pediatric well-child visits.
29. A mindfulness-based stress reduction program for nurses to address burnout.
30. Safety planning education for patients discharged after a suicide attempt.

Older Adults and Long-Term Care (31 to 40)

Gerontology projects frequently target medication safety, transitions and end-of-life care, where nurse-led change has strong evidence behind it.

31. Deprescribing potentially inappropriate medications using the Beers Criteria.
32. Advance care planning conversations in primary care or long-term care.
33. Falls prevention exercise programs in assisted living.
34. Reducing antipsychotic use in residents with dementia.
35. Early palliative care referral for patients with advanced heart failure or COPD.
36. Caregiver education to reduce burden for families of people with dementia.
37. Reducing avoidable hospital transfers from skilled nursing facilities.
38. Oral care protocols to reduce pneumonia in long-term care residents.
39. Cognitive screening during annual wellness visits.
40. Transitional care calls after discharge for older adults with multiple conditions.

Maternal, Child and Population Health (41 to 50)

Population projects often involve community partners. Allow extra time for agreements with schools, clinics or community organizations.

41. Increasing exclusive breastfeeding through prenatal and postpartum education.
42. A hypertension in pregnancy monitoring and follow-up protocol.
43. HPV vaccination uptake among adolescents.
44. Safe sleep education to reduce sudden unexpected infant death risks.
45. School-based asthma management programs.
46. Food insecurity screening and referral in pediatric clinics.
47. Community health worker outreach for hypertension in underserved neighborhoods.
48. Telehealth follow-up for rural patients with chronic disease.
49. Improving postpartum visit attendance.
50. Culturally tailored diabetes education for a specific community.

Leadership, Workforce and Systems (51 to 60)

Leadership projects measure staff and system outcomes, such as turnover, reporting rates or adherence, and suit executive and administration tracks.

51. A nurse residency or preceptor program to reduce first-year turnover.
52. Reducing workplace violence through staff training and reporting processes.
53. Structured interprofessional rounds to reduce length of stay.
54. A civility or communication program to improve team climate.
55. Reducing alarm fatigue through alarm management protocols.
56. Implementing a nurse-sensitive quality dashboard for unit leaders.
57. EHR clinical decision support to improve guideline adherence.
58. Reducing missed nursing care through workload redistribution.
59. A just culture framework to increase incident reporting.
60. Standardizing medication reconciliation at admission and discharge.

Testing an Idea for Feasibility

An appealing topic can still fail if the practical conditions are not there. Run each shortlisted idea through these questions before committing.

Programs differ on that last point. Some accept staff education projects if they measure practice or patient outcomes, not only knowledge; others expect a broader systems change. Ask your faculty.

Common Mistakes When Choosing a DNP Project

• Too broad: "improving diabetes care" rather than one measurable outcome in one setting.
• No local data: relying only on national statistics to show the problem.
• Weak evidence: choosing an intervention supported mainly by opinion.
• Outcomes out of reach: mortality or long-term results that cannot change within your timeline.
• No site agreement: designing the project before confirming access and data permission.

Turning an Idea into a PICOT Question

A PICOT question converts a broad idea into a testable focus. It names the population, intervention, comparison, outcome and timeframe.

Notice how much the PICOT narrows the idea: one clinic, a specific tool, a countable outcome and a fixed period. That precision is what makes the project feasible and evaluable.

Matching Ideas to Your Specialty Track

How IvyDrafts Helps with DNP Project Topics

Send your shortlisted ideas, your site and specialty, any local data you have and your program's template. A writer with DNP project experience drafts a custom problem statement, PICOT question and evidence outline for the idea you choose.

We never invent site data, outcomes or practice hours. Work is written from scratch and plagiarism-checked, with free revisions within the scope of your original request.