A mixed-methods systematic review identifying, describing, and examining the effects of school-based care coordination programs in the US on all reported outcomes

Importance, quality, and engagement: School mental health providers’ perceptions regarding within-district transition care coordination practices.

“…CC practices have yet to be studied extensively within schools; however, preliminary research suggests CC can benefit student health and MH (Francis et al, 2021) by facilitating more equitable and accessible care (McClain et al, 2022). Literature related to MH CC in schools focuses more on service delivery at the school or district level rather than at the individual student level.…”

“…Some researchers have called for CC practices within schools to be led by school psychologists at the individual student level (Shahidullah, 2019). School-based health CC is typically led by school nurses (Francis et al, 2021), yet school psychologists may be effective in leading school-based MH CC efforts for a variety of reasons (McClain et al, 2020). School psychologists are skilled in culturally responsive evidence-based MH interventions and assessments (National Association of School Psychologists [NASP], 2020), and they receive training in data-based decision making and interdisciplinary consultation and collaboration (Shahidullah et al, 2020), giving them the ability to examine multiple data sources (e.g., universal screening results, office discipline referrals, and progress monitoring data) in order to effectively identify and provide MH services (NASP, 2020) as well as to support other school-based professionals in doing so (Shahidullah, 2019).…”

“…However, SMHPs are more limited in their practices when required to interact with a system that does not prioritize MH CC. Therefore, we suggest school psychologists and other SMHPs gauge personnel perceptions of MH CC within their school or district prior to encouraging the adoption of such practices and provide psychoeducation highlighting why such practices are important (e.g., for improved health and MH outcomes; Francis et al, 2021). Without bringing additional personnel on board for MH CC, we fear SMHPs might shoulder this burden alone.…”

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Although care coordination (CC; i.e., the organization of care activities between professionals to facilitate appropriate service delivery; McDonald et al, 2007) has yet to be studied extensively within schools, preliminary research suggests coordinating school mental health supports can be beneficial (Francis et al, 2021) and that interprofessional and interagency collaboration is warranted to meet student needs (McClain et al, 2022). We examined the perceptions of school mental health providers (SMHPs) regarding importance, quality, and engagement with within-district transition CC practices within a multitiered system of support framework.

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Systems of communication in school‐nurse led care coordination: A concept analysis

“…Care coordination for children with chronic conditions and special healthcare needs has been frequently documented as essential for better health and academic outcomes 4–8 . The care coordination process integrates many different medical, behavioral, developmental, social, financial, and educational needs for achieving optimal health, academic, and wellness outcomes for children 9–11 . The American Nurses Association 12 states that care coordination is an essential competency for registered nurses (RN); they promote the RN role in the care coordination process to help improve healthcare quality and outcomes.…”