Announcing a Free Allergies Webinar with eSchoolCare Content Expert Kathleen Shanovich

Kathleen Shanovich 

Free Webinar with eSchoolCare Content Expert Kathleen Shanovich    
                                                 

Just in time for the start of the school year, eSchoolCare content expert Kathleen Shanovich, NP will be giving pointers and taking questions from school nurses on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at 10:30am (Central Time). 

Click Here to View the Archived Webinar  

A Preview of the Webinar is Below 

Do children have more allergies today or is it just my imagination?

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI)

·       The prevalence of food allergy among children under the age of 18 increased 18% percent from 1997 to 2007.

·       Kids with a food allergy are two to four times more likely to have conditions such as asthma and other allergies.

·       Allergic rhinitis affects as many as 40% of children.

·       Atopic dermatitis affects between 10% and 20% of children.

Kathleen Shanovich, a clinician with the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics will discuss the impact of this rise in allergic conditions on school nursing and what researchers are finding out about reasons behind this surge.

What are the best practices in caring for children who have allergic reactions?

School staff members often underestimate how quickly an allergic reaction can escalate into anaphylaxis.  For example, an allergic food reaction:

·       Occurs quickly (seconds/minutes to 1-2 hrs.) following food ingestion

·       Can be life-threatening

·       Occurs reproducibly (each time food protein ingested)

·       Can occur with tiny amounts of food protein exposure (250 mcg)

That means school staff need to be trained to be alert for the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis and well prepared to administer epinephrine onsite without delay.  The eSchoolCare resource, particularly its video showing a child going into anaphylaxis, supports school nurses in their efforts to build their own and their staff’s confidence.  Techniques are demonstrated for administering epinephrine with an EpiPen® and the new Auvi-QTM auto-injectors.  As one school nurse said, “Being able to make a quick assessment and provide treatment may have saved a student’s life.”

How can I keep kids with allergies in my school safe?

While we cannot make our environments totally free from allergens, school nurses can implement policies and practices that make classrooms as allergy-safe as possible.  For example, simple steps to reduce food allergic reactions are:

·       Students should not share food.

·       Students and staff should wash their hands with soap and water after eating.

·       If soap and water are not available, hand wipes can be used.  Note:  Hand sanitizers and gels do not remove food proteins and are not an effective way to removed allergens from the hands.  

eSchoolCare provides model policies and guidelines for school nurses on the front lines of leadership in getting allergies under control so kids can just be kids.

Implementing a School Walkthrough Program to Identify Environmental Asthma Triggers

The beginning of the school year is almost here! 

It is a great time to identify environmental asthma triggers with a school walkthrough program.

Almost 10% of school children have asthma. By implementing a school walkthrough program we can identify and begin eliminating environmental asthma triggers to create a healthier school.

View our webinar to learn about implementing a school walkthrough program using low and no-cost strategies to reduce exposure to environmental asthma triggers found within your school.

The school walkthrough program is brought to you by the Wisconsin Asthma Coalition.

Please click here to view our webinar.

Lori Anderson Interview: eSchoolCare Can Help Improve Childrens' Educational Outcomes

Freddi Adelson, Former District Health Services Coordinator and School Nurse, describes her experience moving from a hospital practice to a school nurse practice.

There are two things that I remember clearly from my early (and not so early) years as a school nurse.

First, I had to find a great deal of information about every school health topic imaginable in so many different places. There were so many questions specific to school nurse practice that I had to answer because it was so very different from the Pediatric ICU setting where I had previously worked. There was information about chronic illness and how it impacted learning and typical medications used in the school setting. These medications were very different from the typical meds used in the Pediatric ICU setting.

Some other questions about school nurse practice that I had to answer by searching through several sources included:  

What was special education exactly and how was that different from 504?

What was the difference between a health plan and an emergency plan?

What did the nurse practice act say about school nursing (not much specifically)?

How was I going to find people to give students their inhalers or epi-pens on field trips? …and I could go on.

I was challenged because I couldn’t store all the information in my head (and some of it changed over time).

Second, I recall how team members looked to me as the “expert” on all things “medical.”  This happened often at student intervention team meetings when the team was reviewing a particular student. The questions often had to do with medications or diagnoses or expected outcomes of treatment. Although I was an experienced nurse, as the only healthcare practitioner in the school, I could have used some additional support and resources.

eSchoolCare is the place I wish I could have gone to back then. The information is all there in one spot at the touch of a finger. There are links to the original sources. There is expert content from practicing nurses who know school nursing. There is practical advice. I can picture myself back then in a team meeting whipping out my tablet (electronic, that is) and clicking quickly to the right section of eSchoolCare to respond to colleagues’ questions or comments. Now, eSchoolCare would be my “go to” reference.