Category: Assignments (Page 2 of 3)

School Nurses in America are currently confronted with the issue of conflicting emergency response instructions. The instructions from health care providers can be different from instructions by the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology which can create confusion for the school nurses that may delay the response and increase the risk of anaphylaxis. According to several studies, the lack of treatment to severe reactions with epinephrine has been a safety concern. (Boyce et al., 2010; Carlisle et al., 2010; Fleischer et al., 2012; Nowak – Wegrzyn, 2012b).  The school nurses must work with parents and the healthcare providers in order to ensure the safety of the students. (Wahl et al. 2015, 97).

In the United States, school nurses have constantly been confronting certain issues regarding the safety of children. Unexpectedly, the causes of the obstacle are those health care providers, who would sometimes write emergency action plans that don’t correspond with the guidelines set by the students’ school district and the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology. Such inconsistency and miscommunication between nurses and providers can potentially worsen their patients’ conditions by increasing the risk of anaphylaxis. In fact, according to research, the consequence could be very serious if the allergic illness, including the severe actions with epinephrine, is not treated properly and in time (Boyce et al., 2010; Carlisle et al., 2010; Fleischer et al., 2012; Nowak-Wegrzyn, 2012b). Therefore, in order to provide a safe and peaceful environment for children, school nurses, health care providers, and parents play significant roles in daily lives and should work with each other to avoid any latent illness at all cost.

Throughout schools across the United States, nurses have been struggling to deal with the disparities within the guidelines from the school district and the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology when administering epinephrine to students. Both institutions have different and extremely strict guidelines that leave nurses in a tough decision. This toss-up risks anaphylaxis if the administration is delayed. Studies have shown that the reactions that come with under treatment of epinephrine is a big safety concern (Boyce et al., 2010; Carlisle et a., 2010; Fleischer et al., 2012; Nowak-Wegrzyn, 2012b). Student nurses must then find the similarities and work around the guidelines in order to perform a safe and timely administration of epinephrine to their students (Wahl et al. 2015, 97).

School nurses across the country face the difficult task of balancing official school and organizational policies with those issued individually by doctors when it comes to treating the allergic reactions suffered by students.  Studies have affirmed that these disparities in policies pose severe threats to students suffering from allergic reactions who may not be able to receive timely and life-saving medical treatment (Boyce et al., 2010; Carlisle et a., 2010; Fleischer et al., 2012; Nowak-Wegrzyn, 2012b).  The potential medical risks make it crucial for nurses to work with parents and doctors in order to provide students with the necessary medical care and attention in the event of a medical emergency (Wahl et al. 2015, 97).

School nurses around the United States face a common dilemma, regarding treatment of certain allergic reactions. Health care providers are recommending strict guidelines of emergency action for their patients. These plans, however, conflict with those provided by the current school district and the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology. Such inconsistencies are likely to result in confusion between the health care providers, the school district, and the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology. But the bigger issue is that delaying proper treatment can potentially increase the risk of anaphylaxis. Several studies illustrate how safety concerns have arisen due to such delays or severe lack of treatment of epinephrine reactions (Boyce et al., 2010; Carlisle et al., 2010; Fleischer et al., 2012; Nowak-Wegrzyn, 2012b). To ensure the safety and best possible care of the students, school nurses should work together with the parents and health care providers to formulate the proper guidelines.

School nurses in the U.S. are faced with the challenge of following strict rules, while also acting quickly and efficiently to treat children experiencing allergic reactions. Different school districts have certain rules in place that complicate the role of school nurses when administering epinephrine to school children. In addition, the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology also have a set of guidelines that further blur the line of responsibility and authority school nurses have. Studies have shown that delaying  the administration of epinephrine increases the risk of severe, life-threatening allergic reactions, also known as anaphylaxis. Therefore, it is critical for school policy, healthcare laws, and parental consent to all be consistent and clear in the extent to which school nurses can act upon cases of allergic reactions (Wahl et. al 2015, 97).

In the United States, school nurses are faced with a dilemma when treating a student/patient. This dilemma results from the conflicting guidelines of emergency treatment from the patient’s health care provider, the school district, and the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology. This results in confusion and may increase the risk of anaphylaxis due to the delay in proper treatment. In fact, recent studies show that there is a serious safety concern with this delayed or lack of treatment of severe reactions with epinephrine (Boyce et al., 2010; Carlisle et al., 2010; Fleischer et al., 2012; Nowak-Wegrzyn, 2012b). Thus, school nurses must work together with parents and healthcare providers to ensure the safety of their students.

In the United States, some physicians fail to coordinate their patient’s emergency action plans with the standards of their school districts and the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology. This not only causes confusion among school nurses, but it may result in incorrect or untimely treatments. Incorrect treatments, or even delayed ones threaten patients by actually increasing their chances for anaphylaxis. In fact, new studies report that treating severely affected anaphylactic patients with epinephrine is inadequate, which warrants cause for great worry (Wahl et al. 2015,97). To combat this, physicians, school nurses, and parents must cooperate to ensure that patients receive correct treatment in the event of a potential emergency.

Across the United States, school nurses have been facing a distinct issue regarding protocol having to do with allergic reactions. Certain health care providers choose to have their own emergency action plan for their patients and these may conflict with the guidelines set forth by the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology and the school district itself. This conflict in turn can cause a delay in treatment which contributes to added risk. Undertreatment of severe reactions has been deemed a “significant safety concern” by several recent studies. (Boyce et al., 2010; Carlisle et al., 2010; Fleischer et al., 2012; Nowak-Wegrzyn, 2012b). School nurses must work together with both healthcare providers and parents continuously to provide the greatest possible care for their students.

It is the job of school nurses to keep students safe at all costs, but it is not always easy. School nurses have been dealing with an ongoing issue regarding health care providers, as they can advise patients on matters that either go against what the school district allows for or clash with the Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology guidelines. This issue is putting students’ lives at risk as it creates unnecessary mix-ups in the school and causes a delay in the reaction time of the nurses. An allergic reaction is an example of a potential emergency that can happen in a school that must be dealt with immediately. An author of a recent study states that school nurses should have “self confidence in preventing, recognizing, and treating food allergy reactions” (Wahl et al. 2015, 91). They should be trained enough to know how to handle any situation without breaking protocol.