Students' Perceptions of School Nurse Services and Their Self-Reported Health Status in Hungary: A Cross-Sectional...

To assess the perceived effectiveness of the school nurse services through students' responses and to examine whether there is a detectable relationship between the students' subjective health status and the school nurse's service delivery.

We conducted our cross-sectional, quantitative research in the West Transdanubian region of Hungary using convenience sampling among high school students (n = 429). Given the non-probability sampling, the findings may not be generalizable to all student populations.

Data were collected using standardized (SF-36, EQ-VAS, questions on the prevalence of subjective health complaints from the HBSC survey) and a self-developed questionnaire. Chi-square tests, correlation analyses and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed using SPSS Statistics 27.0 software.

Students reported a higher level of health-related knowledge received from the school nurse, along with better perceived applicability of this knowledge in everyday life (p < 0.05). Nearly three quarters of respondents indicated that the school nurse's activities contributed to the development of their health-related attitudes and this perception showed a statistically significant association with both the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the care provided (p < 0.05). Higher ratings of the perceived effectiveness of school nursing activities were associated with more favourable self-rated mental health and a lower level of reported health complaints; however, these associations were weak in magnitude.

The results revealed statistically significant but weak associations between perceived school nurse services and selected indicators of students' self-rated health status. Due to the cross-sectional design and the use of self-reported data, causal inferences cannot be drawn. Nonetheless, the findings suggest that more favourable quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the care provided are linked to higher perceived effectiveness of school nurse activities. Further research on quality indicators of school nurse services and approaches tailored to students' needs may be warranted.

The observed associations between students' perceptions of school nurse services and their health perceptions underscore the importance of continuous professional development for school nurses. This may include advanced training in health education and communication skills to further support the perceived effectiveness of their activities.

What problem did the study address? We addressed the perceived effectiveness of school nurse services from the perspective of students and examined whether there is a detectable relationship between students' subjective health status and the services provided by school nurses. What were the main findings? The study found that higher levels of health-related knowledge reported as being provided by the school nurse were associated with more favourable student ratings of the applicability of this knowledge in everyday life. Students who reported more positive experiences with school nurse activities also tended to report more favourable health perceptions, which were reflected in the indicators used to evaluate the services. In addition, higher perceived effectiveness of school nurse services was associated with more favourable self-reported mental health and vitality, as well as a lower level of reported health complaints. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? The findings may be particularly relevant for school nurses, as they highlight the importance of their role and the potential need for continuous attention to service quality from the students' perspective. They may also be informative for students and school communities by underscoring that health education and services provided by school nurses are associated with more favourable self-reported health perceptions and overall well-being.

No patients or members of the public were involved in the design, conduct, analysis, or reporting of this study beyond students' participation as anonymous questionnaire respondents.