Impact of an Education Intervention on Missouri K-12 School Disaster and Biological Event Preparedness

Disaster Preparedness in K-12 Schools: An Integrative Review

BACKGROUND

The threat of a disaster or potential for a disaster is something that may be experienced by individuals globally. Schools are places of daily mass gatherings which make them an ideal target for mass casualty, natural disasters, and biological incidents.

METHODS

An integrative review using Whittemore and Knafl's model was conducted to explore peer-reviewed publications about K-12 schools and natural disasters and pandemic preparedness and planning.

RESULTS

Themes identified from the systematic review of 12 articles reflected determinants and level of school preparedness, disaster plan components, compliance with government requirements, emergency equipment, supplies, drills, and training, collaboration with outside agencies, and perceptions of school preparedness. Preparedness for disasters and biological events among schools varies and multiple factors contribute to the level of preparedness. Perceptions of school preparedness differ among school community members. Schools perceive more preparedness for disasters than their actual level.

CONCLUSIONS

Our nation's schools are not adequately prepared for disasters. There is a need for further research in schools to identify and understand preparedness for disasters.

Health, safety, and education measures for fire in schools: A review article

Fire buildings is considered as one of the most common and the most devastating disasters and emergencies. Saving school buildings against incidents such as fire is very important since students are so vulnerable to incidents especially fire. The most school classes were devoid of safety conditions and oil-burning heaters were used. Such a condition has increased the risk of disaster and is considered as a serious menace for students' lives. The present study conducted with aim of review the Health, Safety and Education Measures for Fire in Schools. To this purpose, we selected suitable keywords some articles published in Scientific Information Database of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest were searched. The search was limited to reviewed articles in English and Persian language published between 1970 and 2019, based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Furthermore, the selected articles were reviewed for relevant citations. The reviewing of articles was conducted by two member of research team independently. The primary search found 194 relevant studies. After eliminating the duplicates and articles which were not related to the review of the abstract, 51 references were identified for inclusion. Finally, 13 articles were selected after screening and evaluated by two authors to final review main factors and dimensions of schools' health, safety and education include the rules and laws, allocating sufficient budgets, education the teachers, students and their families, exercise, risk analysis, intersectional relations, fire extinguishing equipment, early warning system, and also optimization and reformation of heating system. Applying these new approaches prevents disasters and increases the level of preparedness in case of fire occurrence.

Needs Assessment for Standardized Educational Program for Iranian Medical Students in Crisis and Disaster Management

INTRODUCTION

Early education and training are mandatory to raise the knowledge and awareness of the healthcare staff. Iran is a disaster prone area with a high number of emergencies. This study aimed to assess the need for disaster and emergency management education for Iranian medical students.

METHODS

Using two-round Delphi technique in 2017, 15 experts within the field of disaster and emergency management were asked for their opinions concerning the education required for Iranian medical students. Highly important educational domains and their sub-domains selected with an agreement of above 70-80% were prioritized by AHP technique.

RESULTS

Of 41 identified and prioritized educational subjects, four main groups were obtained: 1) crisis and disaster primary concepts, 2) disease control skills, 3) management skills, and 4) medical care skills. The medical care skills had the highest priority (with a weight of 0.546), compared to other areas after the final analysis.

CONCLUSION

Different areas of competency are needed to raise awareness and preparedness in medical students in combating crisis and disasters. We propose a curriculum for Iranian medical students and suggest it to be used for other professionals, who are involved in the process of disaster management.

Needs Assessment for Standardized Educational Program for Iranian Medical Students in Crisis and Disaster Management

INTRODUCTION

Early education and training are mandatory to raise the knowledge and awareness of the healthcare staff. Iran is a disaster prone area with a high number of emergencies. This study aimed to assess the need for disaster and emergency management education for Iranian medical students.

METHODS

Using two-round Delphi technique in 2017, 15 experts within the field of disaster and emergency management were asked for their opinions concerning the education required for Iranian medical students. Highly important educational domains and their sub-domains selected with an agreement of above 70-80% were prioritized by AHP technique.

RESULTS

Of 41 identified and prioritized educational subjects, four main groups were obtained: 1) crisis and disaster primary concepts, 2) disease control skills, 3) management skills, and 4) medical care skills. The medical care skills had the highest priority (with a weight of 0.546), compared to other areas after the final analysis.

CONCLUSION

Different areas of competency are needed to raise awareness and preparedness in medical students in combating crisis and disasters. We propose a curriculum for Iranian medical students and suggest it to be used for other professionals, who are involved in the process of disaster management.

Impact of Education on School Nurses' Knowledge of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background/Aims

School nurses’ knowledge of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not been evaluated. We aimed to investigate school nurses’ knowledge of IBD and determine whether education could improve this knowledge.

Methods

School nurses were invited to complete self-reported questionnaires on IBD. Then, IBD specialists from tertiary referral hospitals provided a 60-minute lecture with educational brochures on two occasions, with a 3-month interval. Within 6 months after the educational interventions, school nurses were asked to complete the same IBD questionnaire via e-mail.

Results

Among 101 school nurses who were invited to participate, 54 nurses (53.5%) who completed two consecutive questionnaires were included in this study (median age, 45 years; range, 25 to 59 years; 100% female); 11.1% and 7.4% of the study participants had no knowledge regarding ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, respectively. They had heard of IBD most frequently from doctors (33.3%), followed by internet sources (25.9%). After 6 months, the number of nurses who could explain IBD to students with over 30% confidence increased from 24 (44.5%) to 42 (77.8%) (p<0.001). Most nurses (81.5%) reported that the educational intervention was helpful for managing students with abdominal pain or diarrhea. The number of students who received IBD-related welfare services from the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education doubled when compared with the corresponding number during the prior educational year.

Conclusions

There is room for improvement in school nurses’ knowledge of IBD. A systematic educational program on IBD should be implemented for these nurses.

Effects of an Online Educational Module on School Nurses' Knowledge of HPV Vaccination

BACKGROUND

Results of a previous state-wide survey revealed generally low knowledge levels about HPV vaccination among school nurses in Missouri. A short, online educational module targeted to address the specific low-scoring items was then created.

METHOD

All 440 lead school nurses in Missouri were invited by e-mail to participate in an online HPV educational module and study. The e-mail contained a link to the module that included a consent form, a test, and a downloadable completion certificate. The test consisted of 12 multiple choice and true-or-false items based directly on the content contained in the module. An independent samples t test was used to determine pre-post differences in mean test scores.

RESULTS

Scores improved significantly (p < .05) pre-post intervention; however, surveillance or epidemiology-related questions were still commonly missed.

CONCLUSION

Using brief, targeted, online trainings to improve knowledge of specific health-related content may be a practical option for busy school nurses. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2017;48(9):431-436.

Exploring School Nurse Interventions and Health and Education Outcomes: An Integrative Review

School nurses intervene with students, parents, and school staff to advance the health and academic success of students. We conducted an integrative literature review of published research to describe the types of school nurse interventions and health and education outcome measures and to examine how school nurse interventions were linked to student outcomes. Sixty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. We used the National Association of School Nurses' Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice to categorize school nurse interventions and health and education outcome measures. The majority of interventions were categorized under the care coordination principle, most commonly, motivational interviewing and counseling. In 17 studies, school nurse interventions were linked to improved student outcomes. Most studies (80%) were descriptive. To advance school nursing science, researchers can build on this foundation with more rigorous research methods to evaluate the impact of school nurse interventions and activities on student health and education outcomes.