Development of institutional school health indicators to prioritise schools for the implementation of school nursing services

Project period: 01.01.2024 - 31.12.2024

Background

In Rhineland-Palatinate, there are currently school nurses working at 26 primary schools, who provide easily accessible medical and nursing care for all pupils during school hours. In addition to providing care when acute health problems or school accidents arise, the nurses focus in particular on the individual care of children with chronic health conditions.

The findings of the research accompanying the school nursing services (SNS) in Rhineland-Palatinate suggest that there is a high demand for SNS in primary schools and that they are likely to have a positive impact on pupils (e.g., improved quality of care, increased participation in lessons) and parents (e.g., a greater sense of security). SNS therefore have the potential to improve pupils’ health, reduce health inequalities and, thereby, support their educational biographies. Furthermore, this relieves teachers of the responsibility of providing medical care, allowing them to concentrate fully on their teaching work.

Although SNS may be further expanded in the coming years, it will not be possible to establish such services in all primary schools for the foreseeable future. Against this background, it is advisable to prioritise schools on the basis of objective criteria, such as the needs of the pupils. It is reasonable to assume that the benefits of SNS are greatest in those schools where pupils face the greatest burden of disease. However, institutional school health indicators that could be used to quantify this burden and select schools have not yet been developed for Germany.

Objectives

The aim of the project was therefore to develop an approach for objectively prioritising primary schools with the highest burden of disease.

Project Procedure

The project comprised three work packages (WP). In WP 1, a comprehensive literature review was carried out to identify national and international examples of best practice in the use of school health indicators. In WP 2, a focus group interview was conducted to gather the views of relevant stakeholders from the primary education, education and health sectors. In a second step, the resulting indicators were weighted according to their relevance using an online survey. Subsequently, in WP 3, the School Health Index was conceptualised on the basis of the results from WPs 1 and 2, and an assessment was then carried out to determine which data sources were available for the respective indicators.

Funding

Ministry of Education of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate

Contact

Dr. Dorothée Malonga Makosi, MPH (Research assistant)

E-Mail: dmalonga@uni-mainz.de