Clinical Presentation to Nursing Office in a Selected International School

Abstract

Nurses in Schools play an important role in the provision of comprehensive health services to school students. Increased number of students entering nurse office with chronic health conditions requiring nursing attention during school day. The aim of this study is to investigate related physical illness or injury that effects the student’s studies and performance. Students in International School in Malaysia physical ailments are the main factor that affects their educational achievements. A total of 2,764 nursing office visit logs were reviewed retrospectively from January 2012 to December 2018. The students’ age group ranging from 4 to 17 years old. Most of the respondents were boys (50.1%), and the mean age of 9.7 years with Standard Deviation (SD)=3.7. During the nursing office visit, the school children were mostly diagnosed with injury (n=1432, 51.8%). Followed by stomach-ache (n=476, 17.2%) and headache (n=383, 13.9%). Independent t test showed that there was no significant difference of age (p=0.419) and the duration of treatment (p=0.453), between boys and girl who went for treatment in the nursing office. Pearson Chi Square test indicated that there were no significant difference of nationality and the diagnosis given during the clinic visit when compared to the gender, with p=0.227 and p=0.478, respectively. School nurse role in health education is primarily to advise and support student’s education success rather than to directly deliver education.