Teaching Teachers About School Health Emergencies

Abstract

The passage of laws requiring that all children receive appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment means children with special health care needs who are at increased risk for health emergencies have entered regular public classrooms. Therefore, teachers must deal not only with health emergencies of normal children, but with emergencies of children with special health care needs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse-led educational intervention for 324 teachers on their knowledge of and anxiety about management of children having health emergencies. The intervention resulted in increased knowledge and decreased anxiety about emergency response. This study demonstrated the feasibility and value of nurses educating teachers about school emergencies and in placing the individual health care plan into action.