Parent Knowledge and Opinions of School Health Services in an Urban Public School System

Abstract

Health services, provided through schools for more than 100 years, increasingly have expanded to meet preventive as well as acute health care needs of children. This article reports on a survey of parents of third-grade children in an urban public school system. The authors examined what parents know about school health services, what value they place on the services, and what barriers exist to health care access. Results indicated parents place a high value on health services offered in schools, but they know little about service availability and use. Parents often were unaware their children received many of the services listed, such as review of school health records, vision and hearing screening, and health education by school nurses.

Cooperation between parents and school nurses in primary schools: parents’ perceptions

“…They regarded school health services as valuable and the presence of the school nurse, an impartial and trusted adult, at school as important. Clark et al (18) also found this in their study. Parents trusted the school nurses’ education but the visibility of their professional expertise was often slight within school communities.…”

“…Parents did not know what kinds of questions they could consult about their school nurse. Earlier studies (17–19) have revealed that knowledge about school health services is generally weak. Children’s health examinations, health dialogues and parent evenings would offer opportunities for cooperation.…”

“…A school nurse vaccinates and gives emergency care when needed and provides health education and guidance. School nurses are able to detect children’s problems at an early phase and to refer them further examinations or care (5, 18, 19). Parents are invited to participate in their children’s physical examinations as often as possible.…”

Vision screening as part of the school health policy in South Africa from the perspective of school health nurses

“…38 , 40 Intervention strategies were developed to remedy the situation through making immediate arrangements for follow-up care, on-site visual assessment, increased follow-ups by the programme director and lastly offering logistic support to families such as providing transport to eye appointments. 41 , 42 …”

Perspectives of School Nurse Vocational Satisfaction: A Qualitative Analysis

“…Studies of school nursing and health services in schools often have focused on the perspectives of stakeholders who are not school nurses such as parents, students, educators, school administrators and others who have vested interests in the health concerns of students (Clark, Clasen, Stolfi, & Jaballas, 2002;Francis, Hemmat, Treloar, & Yarandi, 1996).…”