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Full-time school nurses play an important role in improving asthma management among students in underserved schools, which can impact school absenteeism and attendance-related economic costs.

Teachers and school nurses partner together to help ensure students stay healthy and engaged in school. The purpose of this study is to generate a deeper understanding of teachers' perceptions on the benefits and challenges of working with full- or part-time school nurses. We conducted a qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses from 129 teachers in nine low-income, ethnically diverse urban schools. These schools were part of a multiyear project that placed full-time nurses in four schools, while five schools with part-time nurses were used as a comparison group. Findings indicate that teachers had strong appreciation for the wide range of responsibilities undertaken by the school nurse. Teachers' level of satisfaction was linked to the number of hours the nurse is on-site, where teachers reported greater satisfaction with nurses who worked on campus full time. Results point to factors that may improve working relations between teachers and nurses.

Approximately 20% of school-age children have a vision problem. Screening is an effective way to detect visual impairments, although only if adequate follow-up is available. Here, we evaluate the impact of hiring full-time nurses in four underserved schools on the likelihood of increasing follow-up for treatment after vision screening. First, we compared descriptive screening follow-up data from the intervention schools with that of five matched schools with part-time nurses in San Jose, California, from 2008 to 2012. The intervention schools had around 2800 low-income, minority children each year, and the five comparison schools had around 3445. Secondly, we conducted a qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses from 129 teachers in the nine participating schools. In the final year, 96% of the students screened and referred for possible vision problems in schools with full-time nurses were followed up and examined by a health care provider. Yet, only 67% of students screened in comparison schools were examined. Teachers in schools with full-time nurses reported that follow-up of vision problems and getting glasses for students was the most beneficial activity performed by the nurses. School nurses can effectively increase medical care coordination and follow-up of vision screening in low-income communities.

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