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
