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Implementing an over-the-counter medication administration policy in an elementary school
1Department of Nursing, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA.
Summary
School nurses administering over-the-counter medications can improve student attendance. This policy change showed a trend toward fewer students being sent home, keeping them in class and learning.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Public Health Policy
- School Health Services
Background:
- Improving school attendance is a key goal for school nursing.
- Current policies often require parental involvement for medication administration, leading to student absences.
- This can disrupt learning and academic progress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a new policy allowing school nurses to administer specific over-the-counter (OTC) medications in elementary schools.
- To determine if this policy change affects the rate at which students are sent home from school.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis comparing "sent home" rates before and after policy implementation.
- Data collected from elementary schools in a southern New Mexico public school district.
- Focus on administration of select over-the-counter medications by school nurses.
Main Results:
- Findings suggest a trend towards fewer students being sent home after the policy implementation.
- While not statistically significant, the trend indicates a potential positive impact on attendance.
- The study observed rates for two years post-implementation.
Conclusions:
- Allowing school nurses to administer certain OTC medications may help keep students in school.
- This policy has the potential to reduce absences and support continuous learning.
- Further research may be needed to confirm statistical significance.