UTILIZATION OF SCHOOL NURSES DURING THE EVALUATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

Improving School Nurse Pain Assessment Practices for Students With Intellectual Disability

School nurses are afforded minimal resources related to assessing pain in students with intellectual disability (ID) and have called for continuing education. The purpose of this study was to measure the effectiveness of an education program regarding best practices for assessing pain in students with ID. Educational sessions were presented to 248 school nurses. Pre-, post-, and follow-up surveys measured (1) difficulty school nurses face when assessing pain, (2) knowledge and use of pain assessment methods, and (3) intent to change and actual changes to professional practices. Participants experienced less difficulty assessing pain following the educational program. Almost all participants intended to change pain assessment practices, but large caseloads limited new practice adoption. Policy makers must consider population size and acuity when determining school nurse staffing. Trainings and other resources should be made available to school nurses in order to make pain assessments for students with ID more thorough and efficient.

"Headache Tools to Stay in School": Assessment, Development, and Implementation of an Educational Guide for School Nurses

BACKGROUND

Headache is the most common type of pain reported in the pediatric population, and chronic headache is an increasingly prevalent and debilitating pain condition in children and adolescents. With large numbers of students experiencing acute headaches and more students with chronic headache reentering typical school settings, greater availability of tailored evidence-based practice guidelines for school nurses is imperative.

METHODS

A 2-armed study was developed to assess the need for and evaluate the use and favorability of a headache-driven school nurse guide. Students and their parents were first surveyed on their school nurse's headache knowledge and management skills. School nurses were also interviewed on their desire for a headache educational tool. This feedback aided in developing a headache resource guide. Next, the guide was distributed to school nurses who provided feedback after a 3-month trial.

RESULTS

Results indicate that "Headache Tools to Stay in School" is a useful resource in facilitating communication among health care providers, students, families, and school personnel on how to best meet the complex needs of students with headaches.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the guide's favorability, we encourage school nurses to demand the creation of additional evidence-based resources. Continued dissemination of this guide may improve students' headache management under the informed care of school nurses, and may encourage the development of more evidence-based guides across various medical conditions.