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Published on: July 13, 2019
School Nurses on the Front Lines of Healthcare: Children With Medical Devices-Central Venous Access Device
Noa Farou1, Christy Lucas1, Robert P Olympia2
1Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA.
Insights
Children with medical complexities often need medical devices. School nurses must recognize and manage device complications, like those with central venous access devices, to ensure patient safety.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Nursing Education
- Medical Device Management
Background:
- Children with medical complexities represent a significant subgroup of those with special healthcare needs, requiring intensive, long-term medical interventions.
- Advancing medical technology enables more children with complex needs to survive into school age, increasing their reliance on medical devices.
- School nurses play a critical role as first responders in managing health needs within educational settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To emphasize the critical need for school nurses to recognize and manage complications and malfunctions of medical devices in children.
- To highlight central venous access devices as a common example requiring vigilant monitoring.
- To underscore the importance of prompt recognition and management of device-related issues to prevent serious medical or surgical risks.
Main Methods:
- This study is a review of current practices and challenges in managing medical devices for children with complex healthcare needs in schools.
- It focuses on the role of school nurses as frontline healthcare providers.
- The analysis emphasizes the recognition and acute management of device malfunctions and infections.
Main Results:
- Children with complex medical needs increasingly use devices like central venous access devices (CVADs).
- Malfunctions or infections associated with these devices pose significant risks.
- Effective management by school nurses is crucial for preventing adverse outcomes.
Conclusions:
- School nurses require specialized training to identify and manage medical device complications.
- Early recognition and intervention by school nurses are vital for the safety of children with medical complexities.
- Collaboration between healthcare providers and schools is essential for optimal care coordination.
Abstract:
An important subgroup of children with special healthcare needs are children with medical complexities that require long-term intensive healthcare interventions and treatments. As medical technology continues to advance and children with complex medical needs survive the neonatal period and progress into school-age, it is essential for school nurses to be able to recognize and acutely manage complications and malfunctions of devices in children requiring assistance from medical devices. An example of a common medical device includes central venous access devices that allow for access to the bloodstream to obtain blood for laboratory testing or to infuse medications or nutrition. These devices put children at serious medical or surgical risk when they malfunction or become infected, so it is important for healthcare providers, especially school nurses who are the first responders in schools, to recognize malfunctions and initiate appropriate care management.
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