Welcome to theOctober Issue of the SCTA School-Based Telehealth Nurse's Newsletter!
This issue will feature program updates as well as a Clinical Focus on Asthma
Be sure to check out all of this important and exciting information!
October is Health Literacy Month, and was founded in 1999 by Helen Osborne. October is the time for you to be a Health Literacy Hero by helping individuals and their families to make informed decisions about their health. You can also help to identify health literacy problems and how to solve them. Make the most of October by being a Health Literacy Hero!
Meet a School-Based Telehealth School
Nurse Leader:
Jennifer Outlaw, RN
I am Jennifer Scruggs Outlaw, BSN, RN. I currently live in Camden, SC with my husband, Allen Outlaw, and two daughters, Aubrey Rabon and Jordan (JoJo) Rabon. My daughters both attend Lugoff-Elgin High School and Aubrey will be graduating in 2021! I graduated from the University of South Carolina. I am currently pursuing my Masters in Public Health Nursing from Aspen University. I have 18 plus years of nursing experience ranging from case management and medical/surgical nursing. I have also worked for a large nationwide Fortune 500 Company, performing medical reviews as well as approving precertification’s for necessary medical procedures. I worked as a Clinical Director of a large, national hospice company. Currently, I am a school nurse, working for the Kershaw County School District. I provide care at two district elementary schools. This year we have four district schools that are piloting TeleHealth for the first time! I am lucky to have two of those four schools. TeleHealth has revamped the nursing care that we can provide to our students. I thoroughly love the field of nursing and would not trade it for any other career in this world, especially school nursing. I look forward to integrating even more modern medical technology into our health rooms and schools across our district.
Quick Links
Did you know about the SCTA's program request process for training, consultation and equipment to those in South Carolina interested in developing and implementing telehealth programs? The SCTA is here to assists! Clink the button below to access the form.
High pollen counts, increased exposure to illness and school environmental triggers can all play a role in the “Back to School Asthma Peak.” In light of COVID-19, and the risk of aerosolization during nebulizer treatments, it is important this year more than ever to ensure that students with asthma have rescue inhalers and spacers onsiteat school.
The School-Based Health program can assist with evaluating students, writing prescriptions and completing medication forms for patients at schools within the program.
School nurses are key to identifying children with asthma and to recognizing signs that asthma is not well controlled. We encourage you to identify students who can benefit from improved asthma control and refer them for further evaluation. If the family has a barrier to care, please offer the School-Based Health program as an option to the family.
What Can the School Nurse Do?
Identify and refer students with asthma!
Please refer all students with asthma who have barriers to accessing care at their local medical home
Referring early in the school year can help prevent frequent or severe asthma exacerbations
Here’s what to look for:
Shortness of Breath
Wheezing
Chest tightness
Cough
Night time cough
Use the “Rule of 2” to assess asthma control. If a student has any of the following, their asthma may not be under control and they may benefit from an appointment with our team.
Using albuterol “rescue” inhaler more than twice a week
Awakening at night with asthma symptoms more than twice a month
Refilling a “rescue” inhaler more than twice per year
What about triggers?
Identifying triggers is important in teaching students with asthma how to avoid them. Common triggers include:
Cigarette smoke
Allergens such as dust mites, pollen, pet dander, molds, cockroaches
Upper airway infections
Irritants such as hair spray, perfume, cleaning solutions
Exercise
What’s the treatment for asthma?
The treatment depends on the severity and frequency of the symptoms and may include:
Avoiding triggers
Administering short acting bronchodilators such as Ventolin/ProAir/Albuterol to relax the smooth muscle of the lungs to open the airway during an acute episode of wheezing
Administering a “controller” medication to reduce inflammation of the lungs such as an inhaled corticosteroid such as Flovent, or a combined long acting bronchodilator with an inhaled corticosteroid such as Advair.
Education is Key!! It is important that families understand their medications and use proper technique to administer them. The most effective way to deliver an inhaled medication is with the use of a spacer regardless of a child’s age!
How can the School-Based Health Program Help?
We can:
Complete medication forms to allow the nurse to give medications at school
Prescribe medications for use at school
Treat acute wheezing episodes while the child is at school
Prescribe controller medications when indicated- Remember the Rule of Twos!
Conduct follow up visits when indicated
Assist students with connecting to a PCP
Provide Patient and Family education on Asthma
Please watch the video linked below for a real life story of how school-based telehealth helped a student with severe asthma.
