Role of Scchool Nurse In Primary Prevention in School Setting

Primary Prevention
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Primary Prevention
Primary prevention is a concept that is used to denote the aspect of preventing the onset of a certain disease by reducing one’s susceptibility and exposure to diseases or disease agents. Prevention is indeed better than cure and hence the emphasis that is nowadays accorded to this phase. Nurses all over the world are heavily involved in primary prevention. However, school nurses’ functions transcend the responsibilities of the ordinary nurses. According to the National Association of School Nurses, school nursing is “a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well-being, academic success, and lifelong achievement of students.” The definition continues to explain that school nurses “facilitate positive student responses to normal development; promote health and safety; intervene with actual and potential health problems; provide case management services, and actively collaborate with others to build students and family capacity for adaptation.”
From the definition, school nurses help to promote health and safety as well as intervene in the case there is a potential health problem. The above roles are indeed testament that school nurses take part in primary prevention. During a disease breakout, schools are often closed, and students are sent home until the virus or infection is contained. However, the deterrence or the preclusion of such can help to save time, lives, resources, and ultimately the economy of a country. School nurses are tasked with ensuring that students are always safe and free of any infectious diseases or viruses.
First of all, school nurses are tasked with the duty of training and teaching students the different ways by which they can stay healthy. Promoting healthy lifestyles as well as ensuring that students are not exposed to potential viruses or health issues. While within the school, students are under the care of the school nurse and without a coordinated health program, the school could be a potential hub or channel by which infectious diseases spread. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (2008), a school is “the second most influential environmen...