School Nurses’ Role in Self-Management,Anticipatory Guidance,and Advocacy for Students With Chronic Illness

Abstract

This article offers tangible support for school nurses to understand, recognize, and integrate self-management promotion, anticipatory guidance, and advocacy into practice. The article utilizes the chronic condition of asthma as a case exemplar, but many of the recommendations apply to other aspects of chronic illness self-management promotion. School nurses are in an ideal position to advocate for students and families and to support evidence-based self-management promotion. In the school setting, gaps currently exist regarding best practices for the promotion of self-management and anticipatory guidance for children with chronic illnesses. Future interventions within school settings should focus on multisystem level collaboration with care coordination efforts between providers and social support systems, internal and external, to the school system. These policies and this resource development will ultimately support the promotion of self-management for children with chronic illness in the school environment and maximize health outcomes.