Teaching School Teachers to Recognize Respiratory Distress in Asthmatic Children

Sapién, Robert; Fullerton-Gleason, L.; Allen, Nancy A.

doi:10.1081/jas-200027983

Cited by 32 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Teacher knowledge, while equal to or higher than knowledge levels reported in previous studies (16-19, 31, 32), was still somewhat limited in some areas. The vast majority knew that dust, airborne irritants, changes in weather, animals with fur, colds and the flu, and mold were asthma triggers, and recognized that wheeze and shortness of breath were symptoms of asthma.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 74%

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Asthma Knowledge and Asthma Management Behavior in Urban Elementary School Teachers

Bruzzese¹,

Unikel²,

Evans³

et al. 2010

Journal of Asthma

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BACKGROUND While schools are an important setting for asthma care in youth, teachers’ asthma knowledge and symptom management is poor. This study investigated the knowledge, prevention and management behaviors, and communication regarding asthma of teachers of low income ethnic minority students. It was hypothesized that relative to colleagues whose students did not have active asthma (i.e., did not have symptoms during the day), teachers of students with active asthma would have better asthma knowledge and that more would take asthma prevention steps and communicate with parents and school nurses. METHODS Drawing from 25 elementary schools in NYC, 320 Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade classroom teachers with at least one student with asthma completed measures assessing their asthma knowledge, steps taken to manage asthma, communication with the school nurse or parents, information they received about asthma and whether or not they had at least one student in their class experience asthma symptoms. T-test and chi-square were used to test hypotheses. RESULTS Asthma knowledge varied among teachers. Most could identify potential triggers, yet few knew that medication taken prior to exercise could prevent symptoms and that students with asthma need not avoid exercise. Communication between teachers and school nurses and between teachers and parents was lacking. Relative to colleagues whose students did not have active asthma, teachers whose students had active asthma had better asthma knowledge; more took steps to prevent students from having asthma symptoms, communicated with parents and initiated communication with the nurse. CONCLUSIONS Teacher knowledge about asthma and asthma management is limited, especially among those whose students did not have active asthma. Teachers respond reactively to students who have symptoms in class by increasing prevention steps and communications with parents and the school nurse. A more proactive approach to managing asthma in schools is warranted.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 74%

“…While teachers have many responsibilities and thus have limited time for non-academic tasks, interventions lasting only a few hours have greatly improved teacher knowledge (31, 32). Educating teachers about asthma may assist them to take prevention steps and may give them the confidence to react appropriately when symptoms occur.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asthma Knowledge and Asthma Management Behavior in Urban Elementary School Teachers

Bruzzese¹,

Unikel²,

Evans³

et al. 2010

Journal of Asthma

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“…Studies show that teachers can be effectively educated about how to identify asthma symptoms using didactic means or video instruction. [31] Additionally, an assessment tool of teacher efficacy and confidence level with regard to managing a child’s asthma at school [32] could be helpful in tracking teacher progress and contribute to development of asthma-friendly environment. Our findings will inform the design of an intervention focused on addressing the identified barriers and improving in-school asthma management in concordance with national standards.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asthma management in New York City schools: A classroom teacher perspective

Cain

Reznik

2016

Journal of Asthma

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Objective Classroom teachers play an important role in facilitating asthma management in school but little is known about their perspectives around asthma management. We examined the perspectives of classroom teachers around barriers to school asthma management. Methods We conducted key informant interviews with 21 inner-city classroom teachers from 3rd to 5th grades in 10 Bronx, New York elementary schools. Sampling continued until thematic saturation was reached. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and independently coded for common themes. We used thematic and content review to analyze interview data. Results Seven themes representing teachers’ perspectives on in-school asthma management emerged: (1) the problematic process of identifying students with asthma; (2) poor familiarity with the city health department’s asthma initiative and poor general knowledge of school policies on asthma management (3) lack of competency in managing an acute asthma attack in the classroom and poor recognition of symptoms of an asthma attack; (4) lack of confidence in dealing with a hypothetical asthma attack in the classroom; (5) lack of quick access to asthma medication in school; (6) limited communication between school staff; and (7) enthusiasm about learning more about asthma management. Conclusions Our results revealed several barriers contributing to suboptimal in-school asthma management: ineffective ways of identifying students with asthma, lack of teacher knowledge of guidelines on asthma management, lack of comfort in managing students’ asthma, inadequate access to asthma medication in school, and limited communication between school staff. These issues should be considered in the design of interventions to improve in-school asthma management.

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“…Although studies have demonstrated schoolteachers' overall lack of knowledge of CPR and lack of confidence to manage asthma and epilepsy, Barrett 20 has illustrated the value of school nurses educating schoolteachers about emergencies in children. Sapien et al 21 demonstrated that schoolteachers' confidence level in recognizing respiratory distress in asthmatic children and knowledge of asthma medications improved after attending an education session consisting of video footage and didactic teaching.…”

Section: E742mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Preparedness of Schools to Respond to Emergencies in Children: A National Survey of School Nurses

2005

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ABSTRACT. Objectives. Because children spend a significant proportion of their day in school, pediatric emergencies such as the exacerbation of medical conditions, behavioral crises, and accidental/intentional injuries are likely to occur. Recently, both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association have published guidelines stressing the need for school leaders to establish emergency-response plans to deal with life-threatening medical emergencies in children. The goals include developing an efficient and effective campus-wide communication system for each school with local emergency medical services (EMS); establishing and practicing a medical emergency-response plan (MERP) involving school nurses, physicians, athletic trainers, and the EMS system; identifying students at risk for life-threatening emergencies and ensuring the presence of individual emergency care plans; training staff and students in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); equipping the school for potential lifethreatening emergencies; and implementing lay rescuer automated external defibrillator (AED) programs. The objective of this study was to use published guidelines by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association to examine the preparedness of schools to respond to pediatric emergencies, including those involving children with special care needs, and potential mass disasters. When stratified by inner-city and rural/suburban school setting, the availability of emergency equipment did not differ significantly except for the availability of an oxygen source, which was higher in rural/suburban schools (15% vs 5%).School-nurse responders self-reported more confidence in managing respiratory distress, airway obstruction, profuse bleeding/extremity fracture, anaphylaxis, and shock in a diabetic child and comparatively less confidence in managing cardiac arrest, overdose, seizure, heat illness, and head injury.When analyzing schools with at least 1 child with special care needs, 90% (95% CI: 86 -93%) have an MERP, 64% (95% CI: 58 -69%) have a nurse available during all school hours, and 32% (95% CI: 27-38%) have an efficient and effective campus-wide communication system

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Teaching School Teachers to Recognize Respiratory Distress in Asthmatic Children

Abstract: Using video footage, school teachers can be taught to visually recognize respiratory distress in asthmatic children. Improvement in visual recognition of respiratory distress was greater than improvement in didactic asthma information.

Cited by 32 publications

References 12 publications

Asthma Knowledge and Asthma Management Behavior in Urban Elementary School Teachers

Asthma Knowledge and Asthma Management Behavior in Urban Elementary School Teachers

Asthma management in New York City schools: A classroom teacher perspective

The Preparedness of Schools to Respond to Emergencies in Children: A National Survey of School Nurses

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