Enhancing family nursing practice in schools: School nurses’ perspectives on illness beliefs and family nursing practice skills when caring for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or asthma – A cross-sectional study

Abstract

An increasing number of children attend schools with chronic illnesses/disorders that require managing and comprehensive healthcare from school nurses during the day. Collaboration between school nurses, the school-aged child with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or asthma, and their families is needed when coordinating/managing chronic health problems in the school setting. However, involving families in the assessment and care planning processes can be challenging. The aim of this study was to survey the illness beliefs of school nurses and their perceptions of their family nursing practice skills when offering healthcare services to children with ADHD or asthma in schools. A cross-sectional study was used for a sample of 82 school nurses. The manuscript was prepared following STROBE guidelines. Results indicated that the school nurses perceived themselves to be more confident and to have better knowledge and skill in family nursing practice when offering healthcare services to families of children with ADHD in comparison to asthma.