Research Assistant University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences The Pritzker School of Medicine North Hampton, New Hampshire, United States
Background: Childhood asthma prevalence is as high as 30% in some Chicago neighborhoods. For youth, schools are a critical point of intervention for chronic disease management. In partnership with Chicago schools, four community organizations collaborated to increase asthma awareness and provide free care for students with asthma. Objective: To identify feasible, community-derived asthma care best practices for schools to optimally support students with asthma. Design/Methods: The collaborative project included an environmental scan at each school focused on topics related to asthma guidelines and school asthma policies. Project staff completed a virtual, semi-structured interview and a site visit with key stakeholders in each school (i.e., nurses, office clerks). A semi-structured guide was used to understand alignment with evidence-based care (e.g., documentation, protocols, education). The project team iteratively reviewed notes to identify best practices, which were then refined in discussions with the team and school stakeholders. Results: In 2022-2023 school year, 26 schools completed environmental scans, mostly located in Chicago’s South (n=18) and West Sides (n=8) and served Pre-Kindergarten–8th graders (n=24) who were Black (n=21) or Hispanic (n=5) and low-income (n=24).
To best identify students with asthma, stakeholders reminded parents to complete medical forms throughout the school year across a variety of school communication platforms (i.e., newsletters, apps, websites, phone calls, emails). They also notified teachers of students with confirmed asthma diagnoses in their class.
To organize asthma documentation, stakeholders stored materials in a binder and/or online platform. They also recorded each time a child used their medication on a log sheet. Stakeholders stored medication labeled with the child’s name and date of birth in an unlocked, secure location (i.e., teacher’s desk, nurse’s/main office). With parental permission on file, children independently carried their medication at school.
Lastly, updated asthma training incorporated all staff in the school (e.g., coaches, office clerks, security). Additionally, asthma education engaged all students in health, science, or other classes to facilitate peer support in the event of asthma exacerbations.
Conclusion(s): We share community-derived best practices to promote feasible school-based approaches to support students with asthma. These findings suggest that standardized documentation, education, and medication storage protocols can enable full engagement and optimal outcomes for children with asthma.
