Children's mental health and school success.

An integrative review of literature was undertaken to examine the impact of children's mental health on their school success. The literature confirmed a confluence of problems associated with school performance and child and adolescent mental health. Poor academic functioning and inconsistent school attendance were identified as early signs of emerging or existing mental health problems during childhood and adolescence. Among the goals of school nursing is to provide a process for identification and resolution of students' health needs as they affect educational achievement. Thus, it is within the scope of practice and goals of school nursing to also address children's mental health needs, as they affect school performance. This review of literature supports the conclusion that school nursing is well positioned to respond to the need for mental health promotion, illness prevention, and early intervention related to children's mental health.

Increased mental health needs and new roles in school communities.

TOPIC: Mental health issues and partnership roles in school communities. PURPOSE: To heighten the awareness of healthcare providers about the multiple mental health conditions students bring into school communities and the impact of these conditions on students' ability to learn; to encourage partnering between healthcare providers and educators to support students in achieving academic and developmental success. SOURCES: Literature review and authors' experiences with assessment of and intervention with school-age children presenting with impaired mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Health and education systems must increase their partnerships on behalf of children for a healthy future.

A program to educate school nurses about mental health interventions.

Concerned with the increasing incidence of mental health problems in children and adolescents and the impact of these problems on students' school success and predisposition to self- and other-directed violence, the Multnomah Education Service District Department of School Health Services determined to become proactive by providing preventive interventions for students experiencing actual or potential mental health problems. An educational program was designed to assist school nurses in the identification of potential mental health problems. In addition, information about appropriate interventions for students at risk for aggression, violence, and other mental health pathology was presented. The program involved education on mental health assessment and intervention, as well as expert psychiatric clinical support for the development of student support groups. School nurses were then challenged to develop practice improvement projects incorporating this knowledge for a group of students in their work setting. This introductory article describes the project's general rationale and implementation process. The four articles following in this issue of The Journal of School Nursing describe the goals, implementation, and outcomes of the practice improvement projects developed for early intervention with students exhibiting attention disorders, school absenteeism, social withdrawal, and depression.

Quality improvement projects related to pediculosis management.

Concern about student absenteeism related to repeated pediculosis infestations and the consequent risk for unsuccessful school achievement led to a quality improvement program comprised of 6 projects. The goal was to identify effective nursing interventions for children and families incurring repeated infestations. One project addressed the prevalence of infestation, frequency of school exclusion, and duration of consequential lost school days. Affirmed were low contagion in classrooms and multiple social and emotional challenges in students having chronic infestations. From other projects, the importance of establishing effective relationships with parents, students, and school staff to work toward effective management outcomes was apparent. Also identified was the need to better match hair texture with the selection of a lice comb for effective mechanical removal of lice and nits. There is a need to replicate these projects with larger numbers of students in different geographic locations. It is important to have evidence-based information about the communicability and management strategies for pediculosis to contribute to sound treatment and policy formation.

The importance of research to school nurses and school nursing practice.

Historically, school nursing has not documented sufficiently the health issues in schools, nor has it prioritized these issues for school nursing interventions or evaluated the effectiveness of nursing interventions. The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) is strongly committed to the advancement of children's health. Thus, NASN is developing an infrastructure to support research that articulates the health conditions affecting children's school success and the contributions of school nursing to children's health and academic success. In 1999, NASN participated with the National Center for School Health and the National Nursing Coalition for School Health at a Research Summit to set a school nursing research agenda. Needs and issues were identified for future research activities. The primary outcome was the identification that school nurses must practice the standards of care pertaining to research. These standards specify that clinicians be informed about, supportive of, and participate in the conduct and use of research.