Evidence of School Nursing Impact: Applying the Omaha System to Individual Healthcare Plans (IHPs) to Document Nursing Services and Demonstrate Student Outcomes

School nurses are the health safety net for children and youth including the one in five who have chronic health conditions. As health care providers in a non-health system, school nurses are challenged to legitimize their role by showing impact on the health and education of children and youth. The Omaha System is a standardized nursing language that has the capacity to document nursing assessment, intervention and client outcomes and is used in clinical and community settings. This study examined the feasibility of using the Omaha System in the school setting. While there would be significant logistical hurdles and a steep learning curve, expert school nurses found the Omaha System to be workable and potentially useful in their practice

School Nurses Coordinate Care for Children and Youth with Chronic Health Conditions: A Planning and Implementation Model

Children and youth with special health care needs have the dual task of learning, growing and developing, and learning to live with a chronic health condition. The health care system is improving health care delivery through person-centered care and medical homes, focusing on parents as the primary care-givers. However, an important question is who is caring for the children on a daily basis? Starting as early as age four, during the school year children are in school the majority of their weekday waking hours. The school nurse is their health caregiver, teacher, advocate and collaborator, ensuring they stay healthy and safe at school. For children with chronic health conditions, school nurses’ role as care coordinator is vital. With incremental change in practice, school nurses can improve their child-centered, proactive interventions and document an even greater impact on children’s health status and academic success. This paper proposes a guide for school nurses in planning and implementing the care coordination role