INTRODUCTION �

Children between the ages of 5-7 years are school age children. About 30% of the population is comprised of this age group.

School is defined as an educational institution where groups of pupils’ pursue defined studies at defined levels, receive instructions from one or more teachers.

SCHOOL HEALTH EDUCATION �

The term school health education refers to the learning experiences in health which take place in school. It brings the child gradually to realize the importance of health and to act intelligently in conformity with this awareness.

SCHOOL HEALTH

School health refers to a state of complete physical, mental, social and spiritual wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity among pupils, leaders and other school personnel.

IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL HEALTH �

• To provide emergency care for illness or injury while at school
• To ensure that all students get appropriate referrals to health care providers.
• It monitor for and control the spread of communicable diseases
• It provide education and counselling in a variety of health and wellness
• It serve as a medical resource in the development of policies and procedures in the school

OBJECTIVES OF SCHOOL HEALTH

Objectives are concerned with the children in the school, the number of children with major health problems and ratio or nurses to children in the school.

These objectives can be accomplished using the three levels of prevention:

• Primary
• Secondary
• Tertiary

OBJECTIVES OF SCHOOL HEALTH CONT’D

• Primary: this provides health promotion and education to prevent health problems in children. The areas of primary prevention that the school nurse focuses on include prevention of childhood injuries, prevention of substance abuse behaviors, reducing the risk of the development of chronic diseases and monitoring the immunization states of children.

OBJECTIVES OF SCHOOL HEALTH CONT’D

• Secondary: children seek out the school nurse for a variety of different needs such as headache, stomachache, and diarrhea, anxiety over being separated from their parents, cuts, bruises or other injuries. All staff in the school should be taught standard precaution. Members of the athletic team such as coaches and physical education teachers should also be up to date on emergency health procedures

OBJECTIVES OF SCHOOL HEALTH CONT’D

• Tertiary: using the nursing process the school nurse gives nursing care related to tertiary prevention when working with long-term health needs. Some of these conditions include children with diabetes mellitus, asthma, children who are autistic, children with special needs in the school like urinary catheterization, dressing change, peripheral or central line and many others. Pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers

SCHOOL HEALTH TEAM

The school health team consist of school nurses, community staff nurses. School nurse work closely with children and young people, parents, care takers and teachers, promoting health and well-being in accordance with healthy child program.

SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICES

School health services contributes to the goals of the education system and the health care system by providing screenings and referrals, administering medications and treatments, providing first aid, providing health counseling and education, and supporting students to acquire self-management skills. The purpose of school health services is to ensure that all students are healthy and ready to learn. The school health team consist of the school physician, school nurse(s), and health assistants working in partnership with the students, his/her parents, the student’s primary healthcare provider(s).

COMMON ELEMENTS OF SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICES

• Although a universally accepted definition of the term “school health services” has not been adopted, the school health policies and programs study (SHPPS) has described school health services as a “coordinated system that ensures a continuum of care from school to home to community health care provider and back” (small et al., 1995). The goals and program elements of school health services vary at the state, community, school district, and individual school levels. Some of the factors that contribute to these variations include student needs, community resources for health care, available funding, local preference, leadership for providers of school health services, and the view of health services held by school administrators and other key decision makers in the school system.

COMMON ELEMENTS OF SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICES CONT’D

There are seven goals of a school health program:

• Ensure access to primary health care
• Provide a system for dealing with crisis medical situation
• Provide mandated screening and immunization monitoring
• Provide systems for identification and solution of students’ health and educational problems
• Provide comprehensive and appropriate health education
• Provide a healthful and safe school environment that facilitates learning
• Provide a system of evaluation of the effectiveness of the school health program.

OBJECTIVES OF SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICES�

The main objectives of this service is the prevention of illness as well as the promotion of health and wellbeing of the students through:

• Early detection and care of students with health problems
• Development of healthy attitudes and healthy behaviors by students
• Ensure a healthy environment for children at school
• Prevention of communicable diseases at school

SCHOOL HEALTH NURSE

• The national association of school nurses defines school nursing as: “a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well-being, academic success and lifelong achievement of students. To that end school nurses facilitate positive student responses to normal development; promote health and safety; intervene with actual and potential health problems; provide case management services; and actively collaborate with others to build student and family capacity for adaptation, self-management, self-advocacy, and learning”

ROLES OF THE SCHOOL HEALTH NURSE

• Direct care giver: the school nurse is expected to give immediate nursing care to the ill or injured child or school staff member. The nurse makes all the health care decisions for the child and has a referral system to contact other health care providers such as the physician and psychological counselors if needed.
• Health educator: the school nurse in the health educator role may be asked to teach children both one-on-one and in the classroom. The nurse uses different approaches to teach about health, such as teaching proper nutrition or safety information. Teach elementary adolescent about coming changes in their bodies as puberty arrives.

ROLES OF THE SCHOOL HEALTH NURSE CONT’D

• Case manager: she is to function as a case manager helping to coordinate the health care for children with complex health problems. This may include the child who is disabled or chronically ill, who may be seen by a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist or another health care provider during the school days.

The nurse sets up the schedule for the child’s visits so that those appointments do not unnecessarily impact negatively on the child’s academic days.

• Consultant: as a consultant the school nurse can provide professional information about proposed changes in the schools environment and their impact on the health of the children. He or she can also recommend changes in the schools policies or engage community organization to help make the children schools healthier places

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ROLES OF THE SCHOOL HEALTH NURSE CONT’D

• Counselor: the school nurse may be the person whom children trust to tell important secrets about their health therefore he or she must have a reputation as being a trust worthy person whom the children can go if they are in trouble or when they need someone to talk to.
• Researcher: the school nurse is responsible for children in the school by making sure the nursing care given is based on solid, evidence based practice. Therefore the school nurse as an educator is in the right position to do studies as a researcher that advance school nursing practice.

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REFERENCES�

AN INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNITY HEALTH 5^TH EDITION. JONES AND BARTTETT PUBLISHERS.

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COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING PRACTICE.

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DIVISION OF ADOLESCENT AND SCHOOL HEALTH, CENTERS FOR DISEASE COBTROL AND PREVENTION (2004).

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HEALTH FOR FAMILY AND POPULATIONS 3^RD EDITION.

• DWAMENA GYAMFUA EUNICE PUCN/141149
• VICTORIA EPHRAIM PUCN/141130
• JOANA ANTWI YIRENKYIWAA PUCN/141142
• JEMIMA ODURO PUCN/141188
• NARTEY EUGENIA NARTEYKUOR PUCN/141045
• AMOAH OTOO FRANCISCA PUCN/141156
• DOGBEY BRIGHT PUCN/141133
• TETTEH BERNICE AAKOR PUCN/141072
• ADDO PRISCILLA PUCN/141070