Process and outcomes of school nurse case management for students with asthma.

There have been many studies that have examined the impact of school-based asthma programs on students with asthma. However, most studies do not provide adequate elaboration on the components of the program. Therefore, replication of these programs is difficult.

School nurse evaluations: making the process meaningful and motivational.

The professional standards of school nursing practice provide a framework to help school nurses focus on their unique mission of promoting health and academic achievement for all students. Without the standards, the nurse's role can become task oriented and limited in scope. By using an evaluation tool that reflects the standards, nurses not only become aware and begin to understand the standards; they also become directly accountable for meeting them.

School nurses and children with diabetes: a descriptive study.

Background: Managing diabetes in children is complex. The aims of this descriptive study were to describe the care provided to children with diabetes by school nurses using case management, to identify differences in care on the basis of the workload of the nurse and the age of the child, to explore the role of the nurse in responding to emergencies, and to describe the relationship between case management and quality of life.

Methods: School nurses completed an expanded health assessment.

Defining, delivering, and documenting the outcomes of case management by school nurses.

Case management is a component of school nurse practice that provides an opportunity to demonstrate the contribution that school nurses make to the health and academic success of children, particularly children with chronic health conditions. However, case management programs vary in their mission and scope, leading to confusion about what it means to be a case manager. Many programs acknowledge the difficulty in tracking outcomes and sustaining results.

School nurse case management for children with chronic illness: health, academic, and quality of life outcomes.

More children with chronic illnesses are attending school, and some of them struggle academically because of issues related to their health. School-based case management has been suggested as one strategy to improve the academic success of these children. This study tracked the academic, health, and quality of life outcomes for 114 children with asthma, diabetes, severe allergies, seizures, or sickle-cell anemia in 5 different school districts who were provided case management by school nurses.

North Carolina School Nurse Leadership Institute.

Recognizing that school nurse leaders are essential to the development of school nurses, the North Carolina School Nurse Leadership Institute was developed to enable school nurse leaders to update and advance their leadership skills. The Institute was a collaborative endeavor between the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Eastern Area Health Education Center, and East Carolina University School of Nursing. School nurse leaders were empowered to assume a role in public policy, and they were provided opportunities to network with leaders in other counties throughout the state.

Does the school nurse-to-student ratio make a difference?

Public schools must provide an appropriate education for students with complex health needs. Chronic illnesses such as asthma and diabetes, social morbidities, injuries, and conditions that limit learning such as poor vision commonly affect school-aged children. School nurses often assume a leadership role in providing services for these children.