Asthma Basics for Schools: Part 2 -- Asthma Goals for School Health

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SLIDE 1: Asthma Basics for Schools: Part 2 -- Asthma Goals for School Health

Developed by the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP)

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SLIDE 2: Asthma Basics for Schools: Part 2-Presentation Overview

• Asthma Goals for School Health
  • Infrastructure & Supportive Policies
  • Health & Mental Health Services
  • Asthma Education
  • Healthy School Environment
  • Physical Education & Activity
  • Family & Community Involvement
• Asthma Resources

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SLIDE 3: Asthma Goals for School Health

1. Infrastructure & Supportive Policies
2. Health & Mental Health Services
3. Asthma Education
4. Healthy School Environment
5. Physical Education & Activity
6. Family & Community Involvement

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SLIDE 4: Goal 1: Infrastructure & Supportive Policies

• Ensure adequate student health records
• Establish emergency plan for asthma episodes at school
• Ensure immediate access to medications during all school activities
• Encourage policies to allow students to carry and self-administer medications

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SLIDE 5: Goal 1: Infrastructure & Supportive Policies

Establish Emergency Plan for Asthma Episodes at School

Develop school-wide emergency plans/procedures. Include:

• Respiratory distress treatment protocols
• Procedures to access students' individualized asthma action plans
• Plan for students without an individualized plan

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SLIDE 6: Goal 1: Infrastructure & Supportive Policies

Ensure immediate access to medications at all times

• Allow students to carry and self- administer their asthma medications (per state law)
• Designated secure storage location for medications that are not being self-carried

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SLIDE 7: Goal 2: Health & Mental Health Services

• Identify students with asthma
• Monitor students' asthma
• Obtain and use a written asthma action plan for all students with asthma
• Provide full-time nursing services
• Train, supervise and delegate to health assistants and education staff, as appropriate

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SLIDE 8: Goal 2: Health & Mental Health Services

Identify Students with Asthma

• Obtain information about asthma diagnosis from school health forms
• Review student health records
• Focus particularly on students with poorly controlled asthma.
• Screening large groups of students for asthma is not recommended.

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SLIDE 9: Goal 2: Health & Mental Health Services

Monitor Students' Asthma

All school staff should:

• Watch for symptoms of very poorly controlled asthma
• Use attendance records to monitor absenteeism of students with asthma
• Use health room records to monitor:
• Medication logs
• Asthma-related sick visits to the health room
• Number of days sent home from school due to asthma

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SLIDE 10: Goal 2: Health & Mental Health Services

Obtain and use an asthma action plan for each student with asthma

An action plan includes:

• Prescribed daily and quick-relief medicines
• Treatment guidelines for handling asthma episodes
• Emergency contacts
• List of things that make the student's asthma worse

The plan should be:

• Placed in student's health record
• Shared with appropriate staff
• Updated annually and as needed

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SLIDE 11: Goal 2: Health & Mental Health Services

• Consider providing individual case management for students with poorly controlled asthma
• Use 504 plans or IEPs for students with asthma, as appropriate
• Facilitate links to child health insurance programs and providers
• Establish strong links to asthma care clinicians
• Communication between the student's asthma care clinician, parent, and school staff is vital.

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SLIDE 12: Goal 3: Asthma Education

For students with asthma, the school nurse should:

• Teach and monitor correct inhaler techniques
• Teach how students can monitor their asthma
• Teach when and how to get help
• Offer asthma education programs

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SLIDE 13: Goal 3: Asthma Education

For all students, teach them:

• about lung health
• what asthma is
• how to support classmates with asthma
• what to do if a classmate has an asthma episode

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SLIDE 14: Goal 3: Asthma Education

For parents and guardians of students with asthma:

• Provide education and resources to help their children better manage their asthma at school and home.
• Communicate any problems/changes you see at school.

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SLIDE 15: Goal 3: Asthma Education

For faculty and staff, provide annual professional development on:

• Asthma basics & emergency response
• What different staff can do to make their school asthma-friendly

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SLIDE 16: Goal 4: Healthy School Environment

Adopt and enforce tobacco-free policy that prohibits tobacco use at all times, on all school property, by all people, and for all school activities

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SLIDE 17: Goal 4: Healthy School Environment

Eliminate or reduce exposure to things that make asthma worse by using good housekeeping and maintenance practices

• Use integrated pest management techniques to control pests
  • Use least toxic products available
• Keep temperature and humidity at appropriate settings
  • Maintain HVAC systems
  • Dry up damp and wet areas immediately
• Consider removing furred and feathered animals

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SLIDE 18: Goal 5: Physical Education & Activity

• Encourage full participation when student is well
• Allow pretreatment and/or warm-up before physical activity
• Ensure student access to quick-relief medication during activity
• Provide modified activities as needed

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SLIDE 19: Goal 6: Family & Community Involvement

• Encourage communication among school, home and health care providers
• Encourage active parent, student, and community participation in school activities
• Work with local community asthma programs

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SLIDE 20: Asthma Resources For School Health

National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) Website and Materials

• www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/naepp/index.htm
• www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/index.htm#asthma
• www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/lung/index.htm

CDC School Asthma Website and Materials

• www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/asthma
• www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/asthma/publications
• www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/SHI

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SLIDE 21: Questions and Answers

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