School Nurse Case Management for Children With Chronic Illness: Health, Academic, and Quality of Life Outcomes

Abstract

More children with chronic illnesses are attending school, and some of them struggle academically because of issues related to their health. School-based case management has been suggested as one strategy to improve the academic success of these children. This study tracked the academic, health, and quality of life outcomes for 114 children with asthma, diabetes, severe allergies, seizures, or sickle-cell anemia in 5 different school districts who were provided case management by school nurses. The children ranged in age from 5 to 19 years. At the end of the school year, children experienced an improvement in quality of life and gained skills and knowledge to manage their illness more effectively. Classroom participation, grades, and participation in extracurricular activities also increased for many children. The study provides evidence of the positive impact school nurses have on children with chronic illness and suggests ways they can measure the outcomes of their interventions.

The Impact of Comprehensive School Nursing Services on Students' Academic Performance

“…17,24 On the other hand it was emphasized that School-based health centers can be reduce health inequity among students. 25 …”

“…Leaving school early due to injury or sickness becomes a less common phenomenon when students are able to see a nurse at school. 12,15-17 …”

School Performance and Disease Interference in Adolescents with Sickle Cell Disease

“…Engelke Guttu, Warren and Swanson (2008) examined a nursing case management intervention for 114 children aged 5 to 19 years who were diagnosed with SCD, asthma, diabetes, severe allergies, or seizures in five school districts. Nursing students developed individualized goals and interventions related to teaching, counseling, working with teachers and families, or making referrals for other services (e.g.…”

“…Although the results of these studies Engelke Guttu, et al, 2008; Koontz et al, 2011) are promising in decreasing school absences and improving student grades and quality of life, these studies included small samples of adolescents so it is unclear if these interventions would be efficacious for the larger population of adolescents with SCD. Furthermore, these studies have yet to be replicated in the literature; this leaves school health professionals with limited guidance about how to develop the most effective interventions for adolescents with SCD.…”

Framework for 21st-Century School Nursing Practice

“…In school nursing, examples are often limited by availability of data, yet there are growing research examples. For instance, researchers evaluated outcomes of a case management program in North Carolina and found improvements in classroom participation, grades, and participation in extracurricular activities (Engelke, Gutu, Warren, & Swanson, 2008). The work to develop national data for school nursing will advance the strength of evaluation research and ultimately improve school nursing practice by providing sound evidence for practice.…”