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Access to school health services: differences between full-time and part-time school nurses
Susan K Telljohann1, James H Price, Joseph A Dake
1Department of Public Health, The University of Toledo, OH, USA.
Summary
Schools with full-time nurses show significantly higher student health service utilization than those with part-time nurses, indicating an unmet need for accessible school health care.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatric Nursing
- Healthcare Access
Background:
- School-based health services are crucial for student well-being.
- The frequency of school nurse presence may impact service accessibility and utilization.
- Understanding these differences is key to optimizing student health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare student access to health services in schools with part-time (2 days/week) versus full-time (5 days/week) nurses.
- To identify specific health conditions and activities with differential access based on nurse availability.
- To assess the unmet need for school health services.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study design involving schools with 2 days/week nurses (n=7) and 5 days/week nurses (n=7).
- Analysis of student nurse visit data per 100 students.
- Statistical comparison of 30 health conditions/activities accessed.
Main Results:
- Statistically significant differences in nurse visits per 100 students were observed.
- 28 out of 30 investigated health conditions/activities showed higher utilization with full-time nurses.
- Student access to 21 health service activities in full-time nurse schools exceeded the expected 2.5-fold increase.
Conclusions:
- Full-time school nurses significantly enhance student access to health services compared to part-time nurses.
- A substantial unmet need for school health care exists in schools with limited nurse availability.
- Increased school nurse staffing is recommended to improve student health service access.